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| Ursula K. Le Guin (photo: William Anthony) |
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The Ursula K. Le Guin Literary Trust has announced the creation of the Ursula K. Le Guin Prize for Fiction, with $25,000 to be awarded annually to a writer for a single work of imaginative fiction.
The award will be given for the first time on October 21, 2022, (October 21 was Le Guin's birthday) and will honor a writer "whose work reflects the concepts and ideas that were central to Ursula's own work, including but certainly not limited to: hope, equity, and freedom; non-violence and alternatives to conflict; and a holistic view of humanity's place in the natural world."
Nominations for the inaugural prize will open on February 1, 2022. To be eligible for the prize, a book must be "a book-length work of imaginative fiction written by a single author; published in the U.S. in English or in translation to English (in the case of a translated work winning the Prize, the cash prize will be equally divided between author and translator); and published in 2022."
Theo Downes-Le Guin, Le Guin's son and literary executor, said: "Many will appreciate an irony in that Ursula herself was suspicious of literary awards and prizes. At the same time, she recognized their genuine value in honoring a writer and increasing the visibility of good, undervalued writing. She also knew that a bit of money, at the right moment and in the right spirit, can be a turning point in a writer's ability to continue writing. I hope the Prize will provide meaningful help and recognition to writers who might otherwise not receive it."
The award will also give weight to writers whose access to resources may be limited due to race, gender, age, class or other factors; who are working outside of institutional frameworks like MFA programs; who live outside of cultural centers such as New York; and who have not yet been widely recognized for their work.
The Ursula K. Le Guin Literary Trust will create a shortlist from the nominated works, and a panel of five jurors will choose the winner. The inaugural list of jurors includes adrienne maree brown (Grievers), Becky Chambers (the Wayfarers series), Molly Gloss (Unforeseen), David Mitchell (The Bone Clocks) and Luis Alberto Urrea (The House of Broken Angels).