Shakti Bhatt First Book Prize 2016: call for entries

The Shakti Bhatt Foundation is inviting entries for the 2016 Shakti Bhatt First Book Prize. In its ninth year, the prize is a cash award of 2 lakh rupees, and a trophy. Submissions in the following genres are invited: poetry, fiction, graphic novels, creative non-fiction (travel writing, autobiography, biography and narrative journalism), and drama.

The deadline for publishers and individuals to send in first books is July 15, 2016. Books published between June 2015 and June 2016 are eligible. The winner will be announced in November and the prize presentation will take place in Delhi, December 2016.

Authors from the subcontinent are eligible but books must be published in India. (The cheque to a winning author outside India and elsewhere in the subcontinent will be given to his/her Indian publishers, or the author’s nominees in India.) Publications must be in English or translated into English from an Indian language. Vanity press publications are ineligible.

This year’s shortlist will be put together by poet and author Jeet Thayil, and author Arshia Sattar, who runs the Sangam House international writers' residency program. Three judges (to be announced) will pick the winning entry.

Books should be sent to the following addresses:
One copy to
The Shakti Bhatt Foundation,
C-6/36, First Floor, SDA,
New Delhi 110016

Two copies to:
The Shakti Bhatt Foundation,
011, Maangalya Residences,
6/1, Benson Cross Road,
Bangalore 560046

For further information, mail shaktibhattprize at gmail dot com.

2015 Shakti Bhatt First Book Prize - call for entries

The Shakti Bhatt Foundation is inviting entries for the 2015 Shakti Bhatt First Book Prize. In its eighth year, the prize is a cash award of 2 lakh rupees, and a trophy. Submissions in the following genres are invited: poetry, fiction, graphic novels, creative non-fiction (travel writing, autobiography, biography and narrative journalism), and drama.

The deadline for publishers and individuals to send in first books is July 15, 2015. Books published between June 2014 and June 2015 are eligible. The winner will be announced in November and the prize presentation will take place in Delhi, December 2015.

Authors from the subcontinent are eligible but books must be published in India. Publications must be in English or translated into English from an Indian language. Vanity press publications are ineligible.

This year’s shortlist will be put together by poet and author Jeet Thayil, and author Arshia Sattar, who runs the Sangam House international writers' residency program. Three judges (to be announced) will pick the winning entry.

Books (one copy each) should be sent to the following addresses:
The Shakti Bhatt Foundation, C-6/36, First Floor, SDA, New Delhi 110016;
The Shakti Bhatt Foundation, 011, Maangalya Residences, 6/1, Benson Cross Road, Bangalore 560046.

For further information, mail shaktibhattprize at gmail dot com.

2014 Shakti Bhatt First Book Prize - call for entries

Entries invited for literary prize

The Shakti Bhatt Foundation is inviting entries for the 2014 Shakti Bhatt First Book Prize. In its seventh year, the prize is a cash award of one lakh rupees, and a trophy.

The award covers poetry, fiction (including graphic novels), creative non-fiction (travel writing, autobiography, biography, and narrative journalism), and drama.

The deadline for publishers and individuals to send in first books (no limit to the number of entries) is July 15, 2014. Books published between June 2013 to June 2014 are eligible. The winner will be announced in November and the prize presentation will take place in Delhi, December 2014.

Authors from the subcontinent are eligible but books must be published in India.

Publications must be in English or translated into English from an Indian language.

Books that have been published elsewhere and have already won prizes are eligible, though less likely to win. Vanity press publications are ineligible.

Books (2 copies) should be sent to the following address:
The Shakti Bhatt Foundation,
011, Maangalya Residences, 6/1, Benson Cross Road, Bangalore 560046.

For further information, contact shaktibhattprize at gmail dot com

The 2011 Shakti Bhatt First Book Prize - Call for submissions

The Shakti Bhatt Foundation announces the 2011 SHAKTI BHATT FIRST BOOK PRIZE

The Shakti Bhatt First Book Prize is a cash award of one lakh rupees. We invite entries in the following genres: poetry, fiction, creative non-fiction (travel writing, autobiography, biography, and narrative journalism) and drama.

A 2-member advisory board will shortlist 6 books published between July 1, 2010 and June 30, 2011. This year, the board includes poet and novelist Jeet Thayil, and writer and arts consultant Sanjay Iyer. The shortlisted books will be sent to the 2011 panel of judges: graphic novelist and illustrator Sarnath Bannerjee, writer and blogger Jai Arjun Singh, and novelist Palash Mehrotra.

The deadline for publishers/authors to send their entries is July 15, 2011. The winner will be announced in the second half of November. Prize presentation will take place in December.

Authors of Indian origin whose books have been published in India are eligible for the prize. Publications must be in English or translated into English from an Indian language. Books that have been published elsewhere and have already won prizes are eligible, though less likely to win. Vanity press publications are ineligible.

Books (3 copies) may be sent to the following address:
The Shakti Bhatt Foundation
8B Main Road
166/A Rajmahal Vilas Ext
Bangalore 560 080

Queries: shaktibhattprize AT gmail DOT com

The Shakti Bhatt Foundation is a non-profit trust set up by her family to keep her memory alive. It wishes to reward first-time authors of all ages.

The 2010 Shakti Bhatt First Book Prize - Call for submissions

The Shakti Bhatt Foundation announces
The 2010 Shakti Bhatt First Book Prize

In its third year, the Shakti Bhatt First Book Prize is a cash award of one lakh rupees. Entries in the following genres may be submitted: poetry, fiction (including graphic novels), creative non-fiction (travel writing, autobiography, biography and narrative journalism) and drama. A 3-member advisory board will shortlist 6 books published between June 1, 2009 and June 30, 2010. This year, the board includes journalist Anil Nair, IFA programme executive Sanjay Iyer and poet Jeet Thayil. The shortlisted books will be sent to the 2010 panel of judges; they are playwright Mahesh Dattani, writer and surgeon Kalpana Swaminathan and novelist Ruchir Joshi. The winner will be announced in the second half of November and the prize will be presented in December. Last year's winner was Mridula Koshy for If It Is Sweet.

Authors from the subcontinent are eligible but books must be published in India. Publications must be in English or translated into English from an Indian language. Books that have been published elsewhere and have already won prizes are eligible, though less likely to win. Vanity press publications are ineligible.

The Shakti Bhatt Foundation is a non-profit trust. It wishes to reward first-time authors of all ages. For further information, mail shaktibhattprize AT gmail DOT com

The 2009 Shakti Bhatt First Book Prize - Call for Nominations

The Shakti Bhatt Foundation invites nominations for the 2009 Shakti Bhatt First Book Prize.

Last year's winner was Pakistani novelist Mohammed Hanif’s A Case of Exploding Mangoes.

• Entries may be in any genre: poetry, fiction, creative non-fiction (travel writing, autobiography, biography, and narrative journalism), and drama.
• All authors from the subcontinent are eligible but their books must be published in India.
• The books must be in English or translated into English from an Indian language.
• Books that have been published elsewhere and have already won prizes are eligible, though less likely to win.
• Vanity press publications are ineligible.

A 3-member advisory board will shortlist 6 books published between July 1, 2008 and June 30, 2009. This year, the board includes writers Anjum Hasan, Zac O'Yeah and poet Jeet Thayil. The shortlisted books will be sent to the 2009 panel of judges: novelist Rana Dasgupta, editor Mukund Padmanabhan and Professor Meenakshi Mukherji.

The winner will be announced in the second half of November and the prize presentation will take place in December 2009. The winner will receive a cash award of Rs One Lakh and a trophy.

The Shakti Bhatt Foundation is a non-profit trust set up by the late writer/editor's family to keep her memory alive. It wishes to reward first-time authors of all ages.

For further information, contact shaktibhattprize@gmail.com