A creative writer has a greater power to transform the people and the society at large. In vice versa winning a literary award makes a constructive influence on the literary life of a creative writer. Miraculously the Gratiaen Trust from the inception to this date has successfully proved that it has the ability to do both simultaneously.
So the Trust has been doing it during last two and a half decade and celebrates its Silver Jubilee in 2018.
Forceful effect
Enthusiastic budding English writers all around the country could present their creative works now to this competition. Being a finalist or a winner, a writer would definitely get more opportunities to rate his or her respective work on a higher platform in compared to the works of the other writers. Winning a literary prize at most times generates a very forceful effect especially on the enhancement of the author's profile as well as their works. Literary awards open many avenues to budding writers to realize their dreams to rise up to the higher echelons of their literary life.
Not only literary awards serve as an index for identifying quality literature, on the other hand, they enhance and establish reputations of writers and publishing companies. We have heard of many international literary awards. However, the Gratiaen Prize is the only literary award exclusively confined to English writers of Sri Lanka - which was instituted by very famous author Michael Ondaatje in 1992 with the money he received from his Man Booker Prize winning novel The English Patient. In Ondaatje’s own words – “this Gratiaen prize is an attempt on one level to share the wealth, to celebrate and test and trust ourselves, to select and argue about the literature around us. This is something to take seriously, not just to see it as a jewel or decoration “
Every year Rs 200,000 is awarded in appreciation of the best work of creative English writing at the Gratiaen award. Entries eligible for the prize includes novels, a collection of short stories, poetry, drama, biography as well as other creative types of writings such as memoirs. Both published work, as well as unpublished works in the form of manuscripts, could be presented for this competition. All submitted works are evaluated by competent three judges and finally, the Gratiaen Trust announces the winner from five shortlisted works, at the main Gratiaen prize award ceremony. The prize which has a greater effect to transform the winner’s literary life is sponsored by Sarasavi Bookshop Pvt Ltd – a leader in bookselling, importing and publishing in Sri Lankan book trade.
Wide recognition
Any creative Sri Lankan English writer dreaming to publish his best work with a major publisher could not find a better opportunity other than the Gratiaen prize. For all the times this will be the highest literary award for creative English writing in Sri Lanka. Other than the wide recognition that the author gets, this award serves as a catalyst to motivate individual writers to put forth their very best. Apart from that for any prospective writers this would be the main gateway to the international arena of literature. In order to achieve this a lot of hard work and committeemen are essential on the part of the authors.
Also, this is a greater opportunity for the upcoming new generation of Sri Lankan English writers as The Sarasavi Publishers undertake to publish their unpublished winning works under the reputed Sarasavi imprint.
In order to promote more popular Sri Lanka English literature, the silver jubilee of the Gratiaen award will really be a landmark to encourage budding writers to bring out more refined creative works representing our identities while keeping an international flavour.
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