Bridging Cultures Through Contemporary Fiction

Singing Grass and Paper Republic have launched The Voices of Today Literary Translation Award, a significant new initiative supporting Chinese-to-English literary translation.

The competition, announced on 16 February 2026, offers emerging translators the opportunity to engage with contemporary Chinese fiction while establishing credentials in an increasingly competitive field.

Prize Structure and Recognition

The award provides £1,500 for the winner and £500 each for two runners-up. The winning translation will be published on Paper Republic’s platform in June 2026, timed to coincide with the Beijing International Book Fair – a strategic placement ensuring visibility among key industry stakeholders.

The competition opens 16 February and closes 19 April 2026, with free entry available globally.

Source Material and Strategic Selection

Participants will translate an extract from Liu Zhenyun’s Salty Jokes, a novel that has achieved considerable commercial success in China following its Mao Dun Literature Prize win.

This selection demonstrates astute curation: Liu’s work balances literary credibility with mainstream appeal, offering translators material that resonates with both prestige and market considerations.

Expert Judging Panel

The jury comprises established translation professionals: Nicky Harman (Chair), Esther Tyldesley, and Amanda Ruiqing Flynn. Harman, also a Paper Republic Trustee, notes the prize addresses a recognised gap in the translation landscape, suggesting industry demand for structured pathways into Chinese-English literary translation.

The View From The Beach

This initiative arrives as translated fiction gains substantial traction in English-language markets. The prize represents a collaborative model between commercial cultural communications (Singing Grass) and charitable literary advocacy (Paper Republic), potentially offering a template for future industry-academy partnerships in literary translation development.

This post first appeared in the TNPS LinkedIn newsfeed.