Literary News: The Rainbow Awards for Literature and Journalism

The first edition of the Rainbow Awards for Literature and Journalism is now open for entries.

The Rainbow Awards for Literature and Festival has launched its first edition opening entries from May 19 to July 18, 2023. The award function will be held during the Rainbow Lit Fest – Queer & Inclusive on December 9 and December 10 in Delhi.

These awards will recognize honest, compelling, and unadulterated storytelling around LGBTQIA+ lives by Indian queer and cishet writers.

Recognising Honest, Compelling And Unadulterated Queer Writing From India

I. THE AWARDS

The purpose of the awards is to recognize work done by queer and cishet writers who are creating and building narratives around LGBTQIA+ lives. It is also about encouraging more people to come forth to write, as much as it is about telling the publishing and media world that this ‘genre’ and ‘our’ lives deserve attention, that every story makes a difference to social constructs and perceptions, that each of these narratives add to the community’s sense of belonging.

The awards are about identifying and rewarding exemplary affirmative work that brings to life authenticity, realities, stories of love, trials, tribulations, vulnerabilities, and strength. It is about recording such stories and that of history being made or retold and revisited through this process.

Every year a jury would read and access the variety of entries from publishers, authors, journalists, and editors. The endeavour will be to ensure fairness and studied assessments. The selection of eligible entries will be taken solely and only by the jury.

Their decision is and will be final and binding.

II. CATEGORIES

Literature:

1 Fiction

– This includes novels, graphic novels, and collections of short stories (by a single author).

2 Non-Fiction

– This includes memoirs, biographies, history, and anything that doesn’t fall under Fiction

(Translations will also be accepted as long as the original content was written in an Indian language)

Journalism:

3. Feature

4. Op-Ed

III. CRITERIA & PROCESS FOR ENTRIES

ENTRIES FOR THE AWARDS WILL BE OPEN BETWEEN MAY 19, 2023, AND JULY 18, 2023.

A. Literature (books published between January 1, 2022, and May 31, 2023)

– Only books published in the Indian sub-continent will be accepted and considered for the RALJ. The author has to be a resident of India or of Indian origin.

– Reprints will not qualify for these awards unless there is a significant update to the book. The same needs to be justified in writing, as part of a covering application letter. The jury’s decision to consider or reject such a submission will be final.

– Translations are welcome, that is books translated from any of the Indian languages into English.

– The minimum length of a book should be 30000 words.

– Publishers are invited to send in entries, not more than two books per category. That is two books under Fiction and two under Non-Fiction.

– For self-published books, authors are welcome to submit only one book. The self-published book must have an ISBN.

Each application in the literature category must follow the stated process which includes the following:

1^st. Four copies of the physical book and a covering letter must be submitted / delivered to the address given below. The letter must include:

– The name of the book, the blurb, author’s profile and date of publication – If the author is a non-resident Indian, details of their PIO / OCI card should be provided as an annexure, in the form of a photocopy.

– The letter must also provide an email and phone contact of the applicant individual or organisation.

2^nd. The envelope must state the following:

– On the top in all capitals: The Rainbow Awards for Literature & Journalism – The line below: State the category – Fiction or Non-Fiction (in Capital letters)

All submissions must be sent on time so as to be received and delivered by 6 pm, July 18, 2023.

Submissions are to be couriered or delivered through post or by hand to:

The Rainbow Awards For Literature & Journalism,

Kunzum Books,

182 Basement, Jorbagh,

New Delhi 110003

If by hand, the timings are 11:00 a.m. – 7:30 p.m. Daily

WhatsApp Location Pin: https://goo.gl/maps/wcxoS4b7dZjHkQuj9

For any queries, you can write to contact@therainbowawards.in

About Author

Editor_Kitaab

Namrata is a published author who enjoys writing stories and think pieces on travel, relationships, and gender. She is a UEA alumnus and has studied travel writing at the University of Sydney.

She is also an independent editor and a book reviewer. Her writings can be found on various sites and magazines like the Asian Review of Books, Contemporary South Asia Journal of King’s College-London, Mad in Asia, The Friday Times, Daily Star, The Scroll, Feminism in India, The Brown Orient Journal, Inkspire Journal, Moonlight Journal, The Same, Chronic Pain India and Cafe Dissensus.

Her short stories have been a part of various anthologies . She has also published two short story collections of her own along with two solo titles as well. She is currently working on her debut novel. She loves travelling the length and breadth of the world and enjoys capturing the magic of life in her words. She is always in pursuit of a new country and a new story.

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