The Marsh Award for Children's Literature in Translation
Entries now open!
Entries are invited for the Marsh Award for Children’s Literature in Translation by 16 July 2010. The award recognises the best translation of a children’s book from a foreign language into English and published in the UK. The translation must be first published in the UK by a British publishing company covering the period 1 July 2008 to 30 June 2010. The shortlist will be announced in October 2010 and the prize will be awarded in January 2011. Submission forms can be downloaded below.
Regulations
• The translation must be from the original work in the original language.• The translation must have appeared during the time period of the competition.• Submissions will be accepted from publishers for books produced for readers from 5 to 16 years of age.• Picture books must have a substantial proportion of text. “Substantial” will be at the judges’ discretion.• The publisher must be prepared to submit five copies of the translated work, and one copy of the original, by the end of June 2010.• The Award is to go to the translator.The Marsh Award for Children's Literature in Translation was designed to spotlight the high quality and diversity of translated fiction for young readers and is presented biennially. Since its inception, in 1996, there has been a steady increase in the number of children's books translated into English and published in Britain. For the current award the list of submissions has increased substantially and includes books translated from Chinese, Danish, Dutch, French, German, Greek, Icelandic, Italian, Spanish (including an entry from a Cuban author), Swedish and Yiddish.
The 2009 winner
Sarah Ardizzone has won the Marsh Award for Children's Literature in Translation 2009 for her translation of Toby Alone. At a ceremony at the ESU, on 20 January 2009 the Award of £2000 was presented by Anthony Horowitz.
Sarah Ardizzone (née Adams) was born in Brussels in 1970 and lives in London with her husband,. Having originally trained at the Jacques Lecoq School in Paris, Sarah began translating books in 1997.
Sarah won the Marsh Award for Children's Literature in Translation (2005) for Eye of the Wolf by Daniel Pennac. Her translation of Timothée de Fombelle's sequel to Toby Alone, entitled Toby and the Secrets of the Tree, will be published by Walker Books in June 2009. Outside In, the children's world literature charity, hopes to bring Timothée de Fombelle to the UK in June 2009 to run national workshops with author and translator.
The 2009 short list
This is a rich and diverse shortlist. Some of the books give an insight into other cultures, others have a mind-stretching sense of place or time and all of them are great stories, reminding us that some of the best children's books can come from beyond our shores.
My Brother Johnny by Francesco D'Adamo translated from Italian by Sian Williams (Aurora Metro Press, 2007)
When the Snow Fell by Henning Mankell translated from Swedish by Laurie Thompson (Andersen Press, 2007)
Letters from Alain by Enrique Perez Diaz translated from Spanish by Simon Breden (Aurora Metro Press, 2008)
Tina's Web by Alki Zei translated from Greek by John Thornley (Aurora Metro Press, 2007)
Toby Alone by Timothée de Fombelle translated from French by Sarah Ardizzone illustrated by François Place (Walker Books, 2008)
Message in a Bottle by Valérie Zenatti translated from French by Adriana Hunter (Bloomsbury Publishing, 2008)
The Judging Panel
The panel combines expertise in children's literature and translation. Its members are:
· Patricia Crampton - winner of the Marsh Award for Children's Literature in Translation 1999
· Wendy Cooling - Book Consultant, author and critic.
· Dr Gillian Lathey - Director of the National Centre for Research in Children's Literature, Roehampton University
· Dr Colin Niven OBE - Former Headmaster
· Becky Stradwick - former Head of Children's Books at Borders Children's Books
The award is administered by the ESU and sponsored by the Marsh Christian Trust.
Previous winners
2005:Sarah Adams for her translation from French of Eye of the Wolf by Daniel Pennac (Walker Books)
2003:Anthea Bell for her translation from German of Where Were You Robert? by Hans Magnus Enzensberger (Puffin)
2001:Betsy Rosenberg for her translation from Hebrew of Duel by David Grossman (Bloomsbury)
1999:Patricia Crampton for her translation from German The Final Journey by Gudrun Pausewang (Viking)
1997:Anthea Bell for her translation from German of A Dog’s Life by Christine Nostlinger (Anderson Press)