From this moment on - the 2022 Blancpain-Imaginist Literary Prize is now calling for entries

BEIJING, April 29, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- On April 15, 2022, the fifth Blancpain-Imaginist Literary Prize was officially launched. The Prize is an "impartial, authoritative and professional" award in the field of Chinese literature that aims to discover and encourage outstanding young writers under the age of 45. The co-sponsors, Blancpain and the Imaginist, continue on their quest to convey a simple but meaningful message to the public: "Reading makes time more valuable".

As every year, the 2022 Blancpain-Imaginist Literary Prize has brought together a new team to serve as the members of jury. By doing so, the prize maintains the diversity and high caliber of the judging team by assembling many important and iconic figures in the field of Chinese literature and culture. This year's jury lineup brings together Liang Yong'an, Lin Bai, Liu Zheng, Luo Xiang, and David Der-wei Wang, a group of individuals with professional insights and diverse perspectives, with the promise of heightening the sense of anticipation and suspense as the prize moves towards the final selection.

From now until May 15, the organizing committee will accept submissions from publishers, publishing companies or authors themselves. The final winners will be announced at the award ceremony in October. The young writer who wins the first prize will receive a bonus of 300,000 yuan. The finalists will receive the Young Friend of Blancpain award, a certificate for the finalist's work and a bonus of 20,000 yuan to support their creative efforts and to encourage young writers to continue their work.

Theme of the 2022 Blancpain-Imaginist Literary Prize: From this moment on

It's spring again.

As the weeks go by, we are continually reminded that, over time, the context is always changing. We have all, since time immemorial, shared a common destiny, or, perhaps, it is simply the real world that is being revealed.

If all narratives are destined to become clichés once they have been spoken, even the most sincere feelings will be reduced to something that only the person experiencing them will feel. Then, how do we "keep telling ourselves stories in order to keep on living"? Or is it that only in silence that we respect ourselves?

William Faulkner said in The Sound and the Fury that "I give it to you not that you may remember time, but that you might forget it now and then for a moment and not spend all your breath trying to conquer it." To write is to start from the here and now, to point to the unknown. There is no need to be indiscriminate or silent, nor to be captured by the linear "present moment".

There has never been a best or worst time, and there can be no other world that is better or worse. The "here and now" is all we have. Forget about some romanticized "golden age" that will never happen, or some magical future that others have promised. All we have is our own story. This is our moment.

Literature moves along the vector of time. Now is the moment for you to proceed.

Jury of the 2022 Blancpain-Imaginist Literary Prize

(in alphabetic order)

 Liang Yong'an, Postraduate Students Advisor for Literary Creation, Fudan University.

Lin Bai, author, one of the most important writers of contemporary Chinese women's experience.

Liu Zheng, literary critic, senior media editor, book reviewer.

Luo Xiang, Professor of Law.

David Der-wei Wang, Edward C. Henderson Chair Professor of Department of East Asian Languages and Civilizations (and Department of Comparative Literature), Harvard University, literary critic.

Rules of entry for the Blancpain-Imaginist Literary Prize 2021

Qualified applicants for the Blancpain-Imaginist Literary Prize are authors under the age of 45 who have published works in Simplified Chinese. Finalists will each receive cash prizes with the grand winner granted the sum of 300,000 yuan (approx. US$45,540) for the specific purpose of giving the recipient the time and space to focus on his or her writing. Entries can be novels of all themes, including pure literature, crime novels, detective stories and science fiction. Entries can be submitted by an author, a publisher or any kind of publishing organization. Publishers/publishing organizations can submit up to two works, one for each of two authors that they represent, while the author can submit one of his or her own works.

Entries must be works published between May 1, 2021 and April 30, 2022. The deadline for submission is May 15. On August 1, the review committee will release a shortlist of entries, consisting of two to three nominations from each member of the committee. In September, the committee will vote in such a way as to determine a final list of 5 candidates. The final winner (one) will be announced at the award ceremony to be held in October.

To learn more about the selection method and updates on the prize, please visit the official website at http://www.ilixiangguo.com/literary.html or follow the Chinese-language hashtag # TheBlancpain-ImaginistLiteraryPrize# on Sina Weibo.

About the Blancpain-Imaginist Literary Prize

The Blancpain-Imaginist Literary Prize, co-founded by Swiss luxury watch brand Blancpain and China's most influential cultural brand Imaginist, was created to uncover new and promising literary stars, support talented young authors and encourage the creation of Chinese-language novels.

Engagement of the members of the latest generation just entering adulthood is always a key indicator that determines the future of the world of literature. In the field of literary creation, talented young authors are always seeking an opportunity, while publishing platforms are looking for potential authors, and, at the same time, seek to attract more attention and garner more engagement. Many contemporary classical authors were discovered and recognized in their youth, as literary awards specifically designated for up and coming authors were available to them. For example, Naipaul, Coetzee and new Nobel Prize in Literature winner Kazuo Ishiguro all won the Man Booker Prize in their youth, and went on to earn the Nobel Prize in Literature at a later stage in their writing careers. Renowned Japanese authors, among them, Shusaku Endo, Kenzaburo Oe and Ryu Murakami, were each recipients of the Akutagawa Prize in their youth. In today's world, literary creation is a lonely and long road for young authors. The literary prize is designed to create a future that gives authors the space to focus on the creation of their works just as calligraphers are given the space and time to practice their craft.

Imaginist, the most influential publisher in China, has been dedicated to discovering the best authors who write in Chinese, offering an opportunity for thoughtful words to be published, while imagining another possibility for books. Works by Mu Xin, Kenneth Pai Hsien-yung, among others, have become even more valuable with the passage of time, nourishing the emotional life for generations of readers. Imaginist has, for a long time, been focused on publishing both the literary classics alongside the works of some of the most dynamic and thoughtful young authors who care about the human condition through the diverse collection of works that they have created with their open-minded insights.

Founded in 1735, Blancpain, the fine watchmaking brand from Switzerland, can pride itself in a long history going back 287 years. This creator of classic timepieces understands that the keepers of time that it creates are devices that go well beyond the material and physical, and that they speak to the faith, the feeling for aesthetics and the humanity that resides in each and every one of us. When one talks about the act of creation, it means the perseverance that must be maintained over an extended period of time, while bringing together the inspiration, skills, devotion and patience to create the structure, details and theme for each watch, which often calls for endless iterations of design while rethinking new ones to deliver true excellence in quality. Such an approach is very much in line with the essence that led to the creation of our literary classics. Literature is the extension of time. Blancpain, hand-in-hand with Imaginist, represent the literature penned by members of today's youngest generation who love literary creation and remain committed to making their contribution.

CONTACT: Zhang Shenghao, +86-01057755711

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