The Dhahan Prize for Punjabi Literature has announced the 2024 finalists for its awards of $51,000 CAD, cumulatively.
The Prize promotes Punjabi literature on a global scale by awarding $25,000 CAD annually to the best book of fiction published in either the Gurmukhi or Shahmukhi script, along with two finalist prizes of $10,000 CAD each.
As of 2024, an additional $6,000 CAD is awarded for the transliteration of winning books into Gurmukhi or Shahmukhi.
The winner will be named at ceremonies held on November 14, 2024 at Northview Golf & Country Club in Surrey, B.C.
“Our goal is to make known the excelling works of Punjabi fiction that are released each year, to the wider public. As an organization, we have always strived for the bridging of the two Punjabs. Transliteration is one of the most effective ways to do that.
“We hope that through transliteration, more of these curated books will make it into the hands of Punjabis around the world,” says Barj S. Dhahan, the primary founder of the Prize.
Awardees are also provided with airfare and hotel accommodations in Vancouver, to attend award ceremonies and other events.
The 2024 Finalists of the Dhahan Prize for Punjabi Literature are: Jungle Rakhey Jag De, Short Stories by Shahzad Aslam, Lahore; Safety Kit, Short Stories by Jinder (Jalandhar, Punjab, India), Taboo, Short Stories by Surinder Neer (Jammu, Jammu & Kashmir, India).
“2024 is a very rich year for the Dhahan Prize, not only in quantity (we received 54 submissions) but also in quality. Our juries did a great job shortlisting the submitted works by selecting the ones that best enrich Punjabi fiction and literature.
“The shortlisted books encompass current issues relating to Punjabis in several countries. Themes include the environment, women’s empowerment, caste, human relationships between males and females, Punjabi diaspora and more,” says Zubair Ahmad, Chair of the Dhahan Prize Advisory Board, as well as a 2014 & 2020 Dhahan Prize Finalist.
“The authors have demonstrated excellent command of storytelling. We also feel we have good candidates for English translation,” continues Ahmad.
Launched in 2013, the The Dhahan Prize for Punjabi Literature has garnered international recognition among literary creators and critics in the Punjabi community. This year, submissions arrived from India, Pakistan, Australia, USA and Canada.
The three finalists were announced at a media conference on September 12, 2024 at Simon Fraser University Surrey Campus.
This year’s ceremonies are set to feature musical performers Sunny Matharu (tabla), Pavittar Singh (dilruba esraj) and Saanjh Jaura (vocalist).
