Etisalat Prize for literature: Judges hint on screening criteria

Judges who will be appraising submitted works for the 2016 Etisalat Prize for Literature Competition have hinted on possible criteria that will guide their decisions. Head of panel of judges, Helon Habila disclosed this to Arts & Ideas at the 2016 call for entries programme held in Lagos. According to Habila, the judges have a […]

Judges who will be appraising submitted works for the 2016 Etisalat Prize for Literature Competition have hinted on possible criteria that will guide their decisions.
Head of panel of judges, Helon Habila disclosed this to Arts & Ideas at the 2016 call for entries programme held in Lagos.
According to Habila, the judges have a set of principles guiding their appraisal and it is expected that for every book submitted, the yardsticks shall be the same.
“First and foremost, the book must have some kind of excellence before they get published. That’s almost a given. Though, we realize that all books are not the same. Some books can always be better than one another.
“So basically, we are going to be looking at the theme. What is it about? We are also going to be looking at the style of writing – is it beautiful? The language, the use of literary devices and the content in general – do they address issues we are experiencing on the continent because this is Africa. We are very much interested in knowing the extent of their relevance with Africa,” Habila said.
The panel of judges as announced by the Chief Executive Officer, Etisalat Nigeria, Matthew Willsher, comprises Nigerian novelist and poet, Helon Habila, as the Chair of Judges, South African writer and activist, Elinor Sisulu and Ivorian writer, Edwige Rene Dro as members.
Earlier, Willsher said the competition is designed to serve as a leading platform for the discovery and encouraging of creative writing talents as well as the celebration of literary arts by African writers.
“We are delighted to champion the cause for celebrating the richness and strength of African literature. The Etisalat Prize for Literature is about discovering and bringing to the world stage, the many creative talents Africa boasts of. The Etisalat Prize is about creativity, excellence, empowerment and reward; it is about celebrating our African diversity in very innovative ways through various forms of art, literature being one of them,” he said.
He said only books by debutant writers published not later than 24 months before submission, will qualify.
“Such books must also have been published by registered publishing houses not less than six years as incorporated publishers with registered ISBN numbers or the equivalent. They also must have published a minimum of six authors. All entries should be accompanied by seven copies of the book entered along with an acceptance of our publicity terms. A publisher may submit a maximum of three books,” Willsher said.