GEORGE-NUUS - This year, the English Academy of South Africa has a received an overwhelming response for the Olive Schreiner and Percy Fitzpatrick Prizes.
Anyone interested in submitting work for the annual English Academy Awards must take immediate action, as the deadline to submit entries for all the awards this year is Monday 31 May.

Olive Schreiner Prize
The Olive Schreiner prize is presented to honour new talent. It is conferred for excellence in prose, poetry and drama, and devoted to one of these categories each year. In 2010 it will be awarded for poetry. Entries for the prize are invited from publishers and/or authors who have published collections of poetry during 2007, 2008 and 2009. Only a volume of poems by a single author will be considered - individual poems published in journals and/or magazines are not eligible. More than one submission by a single author will be accepted.

Percy Fitzpatrick Prize
This prize is designed to encourage the writing of books for children to attract them to the habit of reading, to give them enjoyment and also to stretch their horizons imaginatively. It is awarded for an original literary work in English. The work must be a work of fiction designed to interest children aged between 10 and 14 years. Entries for the prize are invited from publishers and or authors who have pu-blished children’s books during 2008 and 2009.

Thomas Pringle Awards
These awards are for various achievements, attention being turned to three different categories each year. The three areas for achievement which will be honoured in 2010 are:
Reviews of plays, books, films, radio or television programmes published in newspapers and magazines during 2010 (ideally, a portfolio of work should be submitted).
Short stories in journals and magazines published in 2008 and 2009. Literary articles published in 2008 and 2009.
Entries for these prizes are invited from editors of journals, magazines and newspapers as well as from individual authors.
Works submitted must have been written by a resident of a Southern African country and published in Southern Africa.
Entrants are asked to submit three copies of their entries to the academy’s adminis-trative officer at PO Box 124, Wits, 2050. Entries must be received by 31 May. Works submitted will be acknowledged but cannot be returned.
Each winner receives a cash prize and a certificate.
For more information, contact the administrative officer on 011 717 9339 or at englishacademy@societies.wits.ac.za.