The Gabo Prize for Literature in Translation & Multilingual Texts/ How To Submit ($200 + Publication)

Lunch Ticket has made known its intention to host The Gabo Prize for Literature in Translation & Multilingual Texts. The Gabo Prize is funded by writers, translators, and Antioch University Los Angeles MFA Alumni Allie Marini and Jennifer McCharen, who launched the prize to support the work of peer translators.

Literary translation is important to writers of all cultures. Without a translator, Cervantes’s Don Quixote would never have been read by William Faulkner. Faulkner’s work, in turn, was translated into Spanish and influenced the work of Gabriel García Márquez, whose work has been translated into over a hundred languages, influencing authors far and wide. For that reason, the prize was named and created in honor of “Gabo”—Gabriel García Márquez—who once said:

“Before reaching the final line, however, he had already understood that he would never leave that room, for it was foreseen that the city of mirrors (or mirages) would be wiped out by the wind and exiled from the memory of men at the precise moment when Aureliano Babilonia would finish deciphering the parchments, and that everything written on them was unrepeatable since time immemorial and forever more, because races condemned to one hundred years of solitude did not have a second opportunity on earth.”

― Gabriel Garcí­a Márquez, One Hundred Years of Solitude
(Translated by Gregory Rabassa)

 

Without literary translation, we are all separate races and cultures, condemned to live out one hundred years of solitude. Our parchments would never be deciphered, and our stories would be unrepeatable forever more. But with translation, we do not have to spend that time alone. Through the voices and stories of those far removed from us, but human just the same as us—we earn our second opportunity on this earth.

 

 

Who is Eligible for the Gabo prize for Literature in Translation & Multilingual Texts.

• Translators and authors of multilingual texts are encouraged to submit their work for The Gabo Prize.
• There is no age limit set for entries.
• More so, application is free.
• Friends, family, and associates of the judges are not eligible for consideration for the award.

 

How to submit for The Gabo Prize for Literature in Translation & Multilingual Texts.

 

• To submit, please click on this link and then, click on the category titled “The Gabo Prize for Literature in Translation & Multilingual Texts.”
• Please indicate whether your translation falls under poetry or prose.
• Include a cover letter in your submission. Your cover letter should briefly and sharply highlight who you are.
• Make sure to include the original work along with your translation. Original, bilingual work qualifies for the Gabo Prize: however if this describes your work, please indicate this clearly in your cover letter.
• The reading period for the prize the month of August for the issue that publishes in December.Deadline is August 31.
• Any work that has been previously published will not be acceptedor considered.
• All submissions for the award will be considered for publication in other sections of Lunch Ticket.
• Thewinner, selected by a guest judge, will receive $200, and the winning piece will be published alongside two semi-finalists in the upcoming issue of Lunch Ticket.
• The Gabo Prize is awarded twice each year.(June and December)

NOTE ON TRANSLATION RIGHTS

Your submission should include the original work along with your translation.

The organizers also require a statement that grants them permission to publish both the original work and the translation online, and that certifies that you have received permission from the original rights holder (either the publisher or the author, as applicable) to grant them such rights.

CODE OF ETHICS

The Gabo Prize is dedicated to upholding the Council of Literary Magazines & Presses code of ethics, defined as such:

CLMP’s community of independent literary publishers believes that ethical contests serve our shared goal: to connect writers and readers by publishing exceptional writing. We believe that intent to act ethically, clarity of guidelines, and transparency of process form the foundation of an ethical contest.

To that end, they agree to:

1) conduct their contests as ethically as possible and to address any unethical behavior on the part of the readers, judges, or editors;

2) to provide clear and specific contest guidelines—defining conflict of interest for all parties involved; and

3) to make the mechanics of their selection process available to the public. This Code recognizes that different contest models produce different results, but that each model can be run ethically. They have adopted this Code to reinforce their  integrity and dedication as a publishing community and to ensure that their contests contribute to a vibrant literary heritage.