The beginning of the year sees various deadlines for submitting books for ‘best translated books’ awards. What’s out there, and who can apply?

I made a little list some time ago. There are many prizes specific to a language and/or language direction, but none, to my knowledge, that are specific for Chinese to another language. Here are some any-language prizes where from-Chinese books can be entered, with a few notes of my own:

Typographicalera Best Translated Book Award. They prepare a list, and anyone can also write in and suggest their favourite translated books. There are three from-Chinese books this year, one in their list, and the other two in the (readers’) ‘write-in’ list at the bottom of the page. Anyone can vote, and the long list is selected from readers’ votes. I’m not sure how the voting proceeds after that. Deadline for 2014 books is 30 January 2015, so there is still time to cast your vote for the from-Chinese or any other translations on the list.

Three Percent Best Translated Book Award in Fiction, Any book published for the first time ever in translation between January 1, 2014 and December 31, 2014, AND available for sale in the United States is eligible. Any publisher, author, or translator can enter a book in the contest. The deadline for 2014 books was the end of December 2014.

The UK-based Independent Foreign Fiction Prize. Publishers can submit their books, but they need to have a UK ISBN. The deadline for publishers to submit entries was Tuesday 16 September 2014. A longlist of approximately 15 titles will be released in March 2015, a shortlist of six will be announced in April and the winning author and translator will be awarded the £10,000 Prize in May.

International IMPAC DUBLIN Literary Award Books are nominated for the Award by invited public libraries in cities throughout the world. Titles are nominated on the basis of 'high literary merit' as determined by the nominating library. NB HK and China are not listed as having nominating libraries

The $3,000 PEN Translation Prize The website says: ‘Invites submissions of book-length translations from any language into English published during the current calendar year. All eligible books must have been published in the United States, translators may be of any nationality. Submissions are now closed. This award will be offered again in 2016. Please check back in mid-2015 for submission details for the 2016 award.’