2025 Jawad memorial prize
The eighth Jawad Memorial Prize for Urdu-English translation, 2025
IS NOW OPEN
The Jawad Memorial Prize for Urdu-English translation has been instituted to honor the life and literary legacy of Ali Jawad Zaidi (1916-2004). He was an Urdu poet, a freedom fighter and a polyphonic scholar who wrote several books of poetry and scholarly works such as 'A History of Urdu Literature', 'Uttar Pradesh ke Marsiyago' and several others. He also wrote commentary on a wide range of cultural themes, publishing significant books like 'Do Adbi School' and 'Islami Taraqqi Pasandi.' He was honoured with several awards, including the Padmashri, the Ghalib Award, the Mir Anis award and others. He was working on a project he called 'Urdu mein Ramkatha' when he passed away on December 6, 2004.
This prize focuses on translation in recognition of the fact that much of Ali Jawad Zaidi's work served as a bridge between languages, cultures and histories, and that he was deeply invested in not only writing Urdu poetry but also in ensuring the preservation of its history and literary traditions. It is our hope and endeavor that the prize will serve to continue his life's work in a small way.
The Jawad Memorial Prize is open to anyone living anywhere in the world. The winner gets INR 25,000 (USD $350, approximately) and a certificate, and the runner-up gets INR 10,000 (USD $150) and a certificate. Submissions are judged blind. Please read the rules carefully before submitting.
Details and Rules:
For 2025, Jawad Memorial Prize invites translations of Urdu non-fiction relating to the theme of Justice.
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Translators are invited to submit (unpublished) translations into English of a single essay, khaka (pen portrait), or speech that has already been published in Urdu. You are free to interpret ‘justice’ as broadly as you like, but do bear in mind that the thematic connection should be apparent to the jury.
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The deadline for submission is August 15, 2025. Please read the following rules carefully before submitting.
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The word limit is 1,000-5,000 words. A few words fewer or more will not disqualify an entry. However, the indicated range must be respected.
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The original essay in Urdu must either be free of copyright claims (65 years after the death of the author) or the translator must obtain the author's permission before submitting an entry and should be able to furnish proof of this, if asked to do so.
Translators may submit more than one essay.
Please send your translations to <sajz.contact@gmail.com> with 'Jawad Memorial Prize Submission' in the subject field.
The original text (in Urdu) should be attached as either a pdf, jpeg or word document.
The translation must be sent as an attachment in .doc or .rtf format. The original author's name must be mentioned in the file submitted, but not the translator's name.
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Submissions are judged blind, so please do not write your name anywhere on the entry document. The translator's name and a brief biographical note (50 - 100 words) should be included in the body of the email.
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The contest opens on June 1, 2025.
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The deadline for submission is August 15, 2025.
Winners will be announced in December 2025.
Please note: there will not be an award ceremony. The winners are contacted individually and awarded their respective prizes.
The decision of the judges is final.
The winning essay, as well as the runner-up entry, should be available for publishing on the website as well as any other media platform for publicity purposes.
Our best wishes to all translators. We look forward to your submissions.