National Translation Award

Scrolling through the Poets & Writers Submission Calendar, one contest captured my attention. Each year, the American Literary Translators Association (ALTA) invites publishers to nominate book-length translations for this award. These books should have been published during the preceding calendar year. The winner receives $2,500. The criteria for judging the award are: (1) the significance of the literary contribution of the original as well as of the translation; and (2) the success of the translation in recreating the artistry of the original.
Although this award is not something that I would be eligible for (at least not anytime soon), it interests me because of my passion for languages. I find it fascinating to read different translations of the same book and, if possible, to also read the text in its original language and see how the works compare. Translation is a craft that is hard to master and, no matter how gifted the translator, something is nearly always lost in the process.
As mentioned in the criteria, submission to the National Translation Award must be a work of fiction, poetry, drama, or creative non-fiction. Literary criticism and philosophy are not eligible. Creative works are undoubtedly more difficult to translate, making this contest particularly challenging. The judges are board members of ALTA, and these members adhere to its goals of enhancing the status of literary translation, improving the quality of literary translation, and increasing the market for the publication of works in English translation. Skilled translators should be recognized and awarded for their craft. In addition to this, those features that make an exquisite translation must be brought out into the open so that the quality of literary translation as a whole can be improved.