Armory Square Prize for South Asian Literature in Translation

The Armory Square Prize for South Asian Literature in Translation was created to inspire new directions for translators into English from one of the most diverse, historically complex, and culturally vibrant regions of the world. It awards a talented translator of South Asian literature into English with the publication of their outstanding manuscript.

This award is groundbreaking. It aims to remedy the stark disparities in literary translation worldwide, while cultivating a new generation of literary translators working with South Asian languages and recognizing storytellers from the Indian Subcontinent within the broader literary ecosystem. 

This year’s competition is open to translators of literature—including any book-length work of narrative prose, fiction, or nonfiction—written by a South Asian woman author in a language other than English. The jury brings together award-winning specialists in South Asian and non-South Asian literary translation from across the world. The prize is sponsored by Armory Square Ventures.

We recently announced both the Winner and Shortlist for the 2024 Armory Square Prize.

(You can also read our announcement associated with the 2024 submissions call. Our notes on last year’s shortlist and submissions cycle are posted here.)


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Application Timeline

January 31, 2024    Applications open 

April 1, 2024    Applications close

May 2024         Shortlist and winner announced        

October 2024     Winning manuscript delivered

Fall 2025         Open Letter publishes winning book

Eligibility

Translator eligibility: Open to any translator of literature written by a South Asian woman author in a language other than English. 

Works considered: Any previously unpublished book-length translation of narrative prose, fiction or nonfiction, including story collections, written by a South Asian woman author (India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Maldives, or part of the diaspora), living or dead.

Retranslations are eligible. The translator must make a detailed and specific case for why the work needs to be retranslated. Novellas are also eligible provided they are a minimum of 30,000 words.

Note: South Asia is frequently/generally defined as these countries, and we will also consider translations of South Asia diaspora writers. That said, projects that do not necessarily fall under these rubrics but have a well-reasoned argument for being considered 'South Asia' are welcomed as well. Applicants are invited to make a case for projects that fall outside of the above rubrics. 

Required Materials

Apply on our website. As part of your submission make sure to include two PDF files in a single email to submissions@armorysv.com. *
The first file must include:

  1. A 1-2 page, single-spaced statement outlining the work and describing its importance.

  2. A biography and bibliography of the original author, including information on translations of their work into other languages.

  3. An 8–10 page, single-spaced sample of the translation. This should be within the range of 3,000-5,000 words.

  4. The same passage in the original language (and, if the work has been previously translated, the same passage in the earlier version with a statement that makes a detailed and specific case for why the work needs to be retranslated).

  5. A detailed plan on how the project will be completed and manuscript delivered in the 4-5 month timeframe after the prize announcement.

    *Before you submit the first PDF, please remove your name and any other identifying information from your translation and all other documents.

The second PDF file must include:

  1. A CV of the translator, no longer than 3 pages. If there are two cotranslators, please include both CVs.

  2. If the book is not in the public domain, a scan of the copyright notice on the original, and a letter from the copyright holder stating that English-language rights to the book are available.

  3. A letter from the copyright holder giving permission for a brief excerpt on Words Without Borders should the submission be shortlisted.

Judging criteria 

  1. Quality of the translation

  2. Significance and artistic merits of the original work

  3. Relative degree of underrepresentation of the original language

  4. Meets the legal and publication standards of the Prize and its partners

The Prize jury will first and foremost consider the quality of the translation, paying particular attention to creative and artful solutions the translator has found to address the translation challenges posed by the work. The jury will also consider the significance of the original work and its author, and the extent to which the language and author are underrepresented in English. 




The Jury

Jason Grunebaum (Jury Chair) is a writer and translator of Manzoor Ahtesham and Uday Prakash, among other Hindi writers. He is the recipient of an NEA Translation Fellowship, a PEN/Heim Translation Grant, and the Global Humanities Initiative Translation Award. His work has been shortlisted for the DSC Prize for South Asian Literature and longlisted for the National Translation award. Originally from Buffalo, New York, he is an instructional professor at the University of Chicago, where he teaches both Hindi and literary translation.

Shahnaz Habib is the author of the nonfiction book Airplane Mode (Catapault, forthcoming), and the translator of the novel Jasmine Days, which won the JCB Prize for Indian Literature. She has been awarded a New York Foundation for the Arts Artists' Fellowship in Nonfiction Literature, and her work has been cited in the Best American Essays series.

Sawad Hussain, translator from Arabic: winner of the English PEN translation award, winner of a RSL Literature Matters award, co-editor of Oxford Arabic Dictionary.

Daisy Rockwell is an artist and a translator of Hindi and Urdu literature living in New England. She was the winner of the 2022 International Booker Prize, with author Geetanjali Shree, for her 2021 translation of the Hindi novel Tomb of Sand.

Pia Sawhney is Partner and Cofounder at Armory Square Ventures, where she actively counsels the ASV team and portfolio companies on developing new businesses. In her previous career as a journalist, Pia's films and media projects were featured and/or published in the New York Times, Variety, the Washington Post and The Huffington Post, and distributed to university libraries nationwide. Her films received grants from the New York State Council on the Arts and other entities; and awards, such as the Amnesty International DOEN Award for Human Rights. They also screened at film festivals at home and abroad. Prior to venture capital and media work, Pia was an investment banker and biologist.

Arunava Sinha has translated Bengali fiction, non-fiction, and poetry into English. Over 70 of his translations have been published to date. He teaches creative writing at Ashoka University in India.


Deena Chalabi is a curator. She has developed exhibitions, commissioned projects, organized symposia, and edited publications from the US and the UK to the Arab world and Japan, with the common theme of reframing narratives, expanding perspectives and elevating underrepresented voices. Her work explores relationships between individual expression, critical thought, and public imagination. A former Visiting Scholar at UC Berkeley’s Arts Research Center, her writing has appeared in publications including Bidoun, The New Inquiry and the Journal of Visual Culture. 

Frequently Asked Questions

Who can apply?

Any translator of literature written by a South Asian woman author in a language other than English. Translators of any nationality and located anywhere in the world are eligible. 

Are previously published translations eligible?

Previously published books, whether self-published or otherwise, are not eligible. It is acceptable for an excerpt of the work to be forthcoming or to have been published.


What works are eligible?

Any previously unpublished book-length translation of narrative prose, fiction or nonfiction, including story collections, written by a South Asian woman author (India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Maldives, or part of the diaspora), living or dead. Applicants are invited to make a case for projects that do not fall within these rubrics.


Are Retranslations eligible?

Retranslations are eligible. The translator must make a detailed and specific case for why the work needs to be retranslated.


And Novellas? Novellas are eligible provided they are a minimum of 30,000 words.

 

What genres are eligible?

Narrative prose: fiction or nonfiction.


Are poetry and drama eligible?

No.


What is the prize?

The award recipient’s book will be published by Open Letter Books in fall 2025.


Can a single translator submit multiple applications?

Yes, each translator may submit a maximum of three separate applications.


Will the winner be paid?

The winning translator will be paid as part of their book contract with Open Letter Books. 


Why do I have to submit a letter concerning English-language rights?

A letter from the copyright holder affirming that the English-language rights are available is essential to ensure that the translation can be published. 


Are cotranslations eligible? 

Cotranslations are eligible up to a maximum of two cotranslators. 


When will the shortlist and winner be announced?

The shortlist and winner will be announced in May 2024.


What are the judging criteria?

  1. Quality of the translation

  2. Significance and artistic merits of the original work

  3. Relative degree of underrepresentation of the original language

  4. Meets the legal and publication standards of the Prize and its partners

Who are the judges? 

The judges are persons chosen because of their expertise and knowledge of translation, publishing and/or South Asian languages and literature. Collectively, the judges comprise the ASV Prize Jury.   

 

Are the decisions of the Jury final? 

Yes. Once the jury reviews, convenes and votes on an author’s work and its translation, that decision is final, subject to the ratification of the sponsor of the ASV Prize, which retains ultimate executive authority to instruct the jury to reconvene and reconsider its decision if a work or its translation is determined to depart from the legal standards of the Prize or its partners or is otherwise determined to be unable to survive the editorial and publication process.

I’m not sure whether my project qualifies. What should I do?

Submit your application materials before the deadline, and email shreyas@armorysv.com with specific questions.
 

Are “bridge languages” acceptable? 

No, the project must be translated directly from the source language into English. For example, a novel translated from Odia into English is eligible. A novel originally written in Odia, translated into Bangla, and then translated from Bangla into English is not eligible. 


Are projects currently under book contract eligible?

Projects that are currently under book contract anywhere are not eligible.


What if my project is accepted for publication elsewhere after I submit my application? 

Please let us know immediately if your project has been accepted for publication elsewhere. Books that are under contract elsewhere are ineligible for consideration for the Prize. 


Will I receive feedback on my application?

Due to the volume of entries, unfortunately we are unable to provide feedback on any application.