Dsc Prize for South Asian Literature, 2019

Instituted by Surina and Manhad Narula in 2010, the US $25,000 DSC Prize for South Asian Literature is one of the most prestigious international literary awards specifically focused on South Asian writing. It is a unique and coveted prize and is open to authors of any ethnicity or nationality as long as the writing is about South Asia and its people. After announcing its winners in Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and India, the DSC Prize 2019 Award ceremony is to take place in Nepal Literature Festival in Pokhara on December 16, 2019.

The felicitation ceremony is planned as the finale event of the Nepal Literature Festival which takes place from 13 to 16 December, 2019. True to its South Asian essence, the peripatetic DSC Prize announces its winner at a different South Asian country every year by rotation. The DSC Prize 2016 winner was announced at the Galle Literary Festival in Sri Lanka whereas the DSC Prize 2017 was awarded at the Dhaka Lit Fest in Bangladesh, and the DSC Prize 2018 was presented at the Tata Steel Kolkata Literary Meet in India. This year the prize is travelling to Nepal where it will celebrate the shortlisted authors and announce the ninth winner of the DSC Prize for South Asian Literature.

Speaking about the partnership, Surina Narula, co-founder of the DSC Prize for South Asian Literature said, "We are delighted to partner with the Nepal Literature Festival to announce the winner of the DSC Prize for South Asian Literature 2019 in the picturesque city of Pokhara in December. Both the prize and the festival share a common vision to promote and highlight South Asian literature, and there is a rich literary landscape in Nepal which I hope will benefit from this partnership."

Administered by the South Asian Literature Prize & Events Trust, the DSC Prize prides itself on a thorough and transparent judging process and is modelled on global best practices. At the core of the process is the 5 member international jury panel comprising literary luminaries drawn from diverse geographies and expertise, which is solely empowered to adjudicate on the entries received, and their decision is final.

Past winners of the prize have been H M Naqvi of Pakistan, Shehan Karunatilaka of Sri Lanka, Jeet Thayil and Cyrus Mistry from India, American author of Indian origin Jhumpa Lahiri, Anuradha Roy from India, Anuk Arudpragasam of Sri Lanka, and Jayant Kaikini along with translator Tejaswini Niranjana of India who won the prize last year.