Sunday Submissions: The ‘Close Approximations’ Translation Prize is Back

Asymptote’s “Close Approximations” translation prize has returned:

Entrants are asked to send in five to ten pages of translated poetry or ten to 25 pages of translated fiction via Asymptote’s Submittable page.

The deadline is February 1, 2017, and the winner of each category (fiction and poetry) will receive $1,000 USD, while the runners-up are promised $250 USD. Winning translations will also be featured in Asymptote and The Guardian.

This year’s judges are David Bellows (fiction) and Sawako Nakayasu (poetry).

Last year’s “Close Approximations” winners include Ruth Diver, for a translation of Sophie Pujas’s Maraudes, and Kelsi Vanada, for a translation from Marie Silkeberg’s “The Cities.”

Also, according to the rules: “We ask that submissions be limited to translations of writers who have yet to appear widely in English but are generally available in their native tongue. As an example, Sappho is considered widely published in English, even if freshly translated. In contrast, an author with only a small fraction of his or her work published in English translation (or none at all) would be a perfect candidate for the contest.”