Paging the next Joan Didion, Lena Dunham, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie—submit a short story, novel or screenplay written in English, and you could win a US$50,000 cash prize. The original work must portray one or more female protagonists as the central character, and offer a fresh perspective on the challenges and joys of women’s lives.
A literary award launched by Half the World Holdings, entries will be judged by a panel of academics, writers and media professionals, each committed to advancing women’s voices within their field; including Harper’s BAZAAR Singapore’s Editor-in-Chief, Kenneth Goh.
“Harper’s BAZAAR Singapore has always supported young talent on its pages, website and social media platforms – through the Asia New Gen Fashion Award, our Photography Awards in the past, and Asia’s Next Top Model. This is the perfect opportunity to allow young writers a platform to talk about the women in their lives, and even possibly see their works published or live on as a film,” said Goh.
Other distinguished judges include Anne Harrison, producer for the Oscar-, BAFTA- and Golden Globe-nominated film The Danish Girl; and Gina Otto, best-selling author of Cassandra’s Angel and founder of children’s social activation platform Change My World Now.
“Women are so complex; they lead interesting, multi-faceted lives. Yet, it’s so rare to hear women’s voices in contemporary culture and writing. There are lots of stories out there that need to be heard, and we hope this meaningful initiative can contribute in some small way towards that,” said Caroline Bowler, representative for Half the World Holdings. A global investment platform, Half the World Holdings provides the capital, advisory and international networks to develop and scale ventures – specifically companies for whom women are the end-consumer.
The closing date for entries is 8 June 2016, with the shortlist announced 22 June. The winner of the Half the World Global Literati Award will be declared 15 July 2016.
Submit your works for consideration via http://halftheworld.media.
By Annabelle Fernandez
