SALA celebrates 19 years of advancing our literary heritage

SALA Awards Handover Ceremony

After five months of an open Call for Submissions season for the 19th edition of SALA (South African Literary Awards), the adjudication process of scores of submitted books has started in earnest.

The completion of the adjudication process by between 30 and 35 seasoned judges will yield a short list of nominees from whom ultimate winners will emerge and announced at the Awards handover ceremony on 7 November, 2024, at a venue still to be confirmed.

On the same day, preceding this Awards ceremony will be the 12th Africa Century International African Writers Conference, both celebrating the 33rd anniversary of the African Union-declared International African Writers’ Day and 30 years of South Africa’s Freedom and Democracy.

South African Literary Awards

The prestigious South African Literary Awards were founded in 2005 by the wRite associates, in partnership with the national Department of Arts and Culture (now Department of Sport, Arts and Culture), as a platform to honour authors, translators, poets and other literary practitioners who made and continue to make a contribution in the South African literary landscape. More than 300 wordsmiths have been honoured over the last 18 years.

Morakabe Raks Seakhoa, Managing Director at wRite associates and SALA’s founder Executive Director, is pleased with the massive impact SALA has had on South Africa’s literary scene over the past 18 years. “We are pleased with the consistency, growth and maturing of SALA across languages, generational, gender and other social prisms”, Seakhoa says.

“The past 19 years have seen SALA recognise authors who have since soared higher in their literary careers, leading to them being republished, invitations and participation in literary events at home and abroad, some of their work optioned for movies and theatre stages”.

Seakhoa is confident that this year’s adjudicators will, once again, select the best literary offerings. “SALA always goes out of its way to source the best adjudicators through literary and linguistic departments at institutions of higher learning, writers’ and literary translations experts and so on”.

The categories

SALA honours writing and writers in all official languages across 16 categories. These are:

  1. Sello Duiker Memorial Literary Award
  2. First-Time published writers are also acknowledged and honoured by the Awards.
  3. The Nadine Gordimer Short Story Literary Award, honouring thespians in the genre, across all languages.
  4. National Poet Laureate Prize
  5. Poetry Award
  6. Literary Translators Award
  7. Lifetime Achievement Literary Award
  8. Posthumous Literary Award
  9. Literary Journalism Award
  10. Creative Non-Fiction Award
  11. Chairperson’s Award
  12. Children’s Literature Award
  13. Youth Literature Award
  14. Novel Award
  15. Regional Poet Laureate Prize
  16. Local Poet Laureate Prize

As writers are given an equal opportunity to contest any of the Awards categories, the winners over the years reflect that elevated state of South African literature, which has seen some of the local works adapted to screen- and stage-plays.

A history of literary distinction

Some of the literary practitioners honoured in various categories over the years include the current National Poet Laureate, Prof Mongane Wally Serote, the late Nobel Laureate, Nadine Gordimer, multi-award winning novelist Kgebetli Moele, literary journalists Phakama Mbonambi, Bongani Madondo and Sabata-Mpho Mokae, poet Kobus Moolman, book critics Karabo Kgoleng and Jenny Crwys-Williams, activist, poet and author Ambassador Lindiwe Mabuza, short story writers Makhosazana Xaba and Reneilwe Malatji, scholars and prolific writers Zakes Mda, Njabulo Ndebele, Mbulelo Mzamane, Ashraaf Kagee, Nhlanhla Maake, Imraan Coovadia, the late translator, poet, novelist and children’s writer Chris van Wyk; Lebohang Masango, also a children’s author, and many others.

In a nutshell

SALA Awards Handover Ceremony 2024

South African Literary Awards

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