The Fiction Award will be presented to the author of a published work of fiction (‘Book’) in English or published in English translation. The book must be a minimum of 20,000 words long and be written by a national or passport holder of one of the eligible countries of Africa and the Middle East. A selection of short stories or poems is not eligible. Submissions are invited from all publishers worldwide (‘Publishers’). Self-published works will not be accepted for entry. The works must be published for the first time in the English language, or English translation between 1 January, 2014 and 30 September 2015. Books may be in print or digital form, or both.
The winning author will receive an award of $40,000 (the “Prize”). A longlist will be announced on 5 June, 2015. This will be followed by the announcement of three finalists on 7 August, who will be invited to attend an awards ceremony in New York on 5 October, 2015 at which the winner will be announced (the “Awards Ceremony”).
TERMS AND CONDITIONS
Eligibility
1. The Competition is open to authors who are nationals or passport holders of any African and the Middle East country listed here, and who are 18 years of age or older at the time of entry.
2. There is no limit to the number of Books per author a Publisher may submit, providing they adhere to the rules.
3. An author may not enter the Competition if he or she is an employee, contractor, or immediate family member of any employee or contractor of The Financial Times Limited (“FT”) or OppenheimerFunds Inc. (“OFI”), or their associated companies.
4. To enter the Competition on behalf of an author, a Publisher must:
a. submit a Book which has been published for the first time in the English language, or English translation between 1 January, 2014 and 30 September 2015. Books may be in print or digital form, or both;
b. if a Book is in proof, it should be bound and accompanied by a jacket rough and author’s biography;
c. make submissions online and send one copy of each Book submitted to the address below by no later than 5pm British Summer Time on Thursday, 30 April. FT and OFI can not accept responsibility for Books lost or delayed in submission. Proof of submission is not a proof of receipt. Books should be sent to:
Diana Whittington
Financial Times
One Southwark Bridge
London
SE1 9HL
UNITED KINGDOM
Diana Whittington
Financial Times
One Southwark Bridge
London
SE1 9HL
UNITED KINGDOM
d. ensure that each Book submitted is clearly labeled. Books cannot be returned;
e. provide a further fifteen copies of any Book selected for the longlist, for administrative and publicity purposes. If your Book is selected for the longlist, the organisers will contact you for further arrangements;
f. provide any relevant information relating to any Book as requested by FT;
g. ensure that all Books entered are original; complete (I.e. not a fragment of a larger work); of your own sole creation; not offensive, defamatory or otherwise unlawful; do not infringe the intellectual property rights or any other rights of any third party;
h. submit your entry online by no later than April 30 2015 (“Closing Date”);
i. make its best efforts to guarantee the author’s attendance at the Award Ceremony and to cover their associated expenses (with the exception of the author’s reasonable travel and accommodation for which the Award organisers will take responsibility), if the submitted Book is a selected for the final; and
j. ensure that finalists or the winning author make their best efforts to promote the author’s own Book and this Award. These might include writing an article for the FT’s Comment pages or website (www.ft.com), or providing a pre-agreed extract from the Book for publication in the FT, or participating in a video interview to discuss the award to be broadcast on FT.com
Judging
5. The longlist will be announced on 5 June, 2015. This list will be assessed by a panel of judges chaired by Michael Skapinker, Associate Editor, Financial Times. Entries will be judged at the judges’ sole discretion, applying the criteria of which Books show outstanding talent and in some way furthers understanding of their region. Longlisted authors will be contacted and asked to provide proof of their nationality.
6. Up to three finalist authors will be chosen by the panel of judges and the list of finalists will be announced on 7 August 2015. The winning author will be announced during the Award Ceremony. The judges’ decision is final and binding and no correspondence will be entered into.
The Prize
7. The winning author will be announced during the Award Ceremony. If the Prize is declined or unclaimed by the winner, or if the winner cannot be contacted from the details supplied within 5 business days of trying to notify them, FT may at its sole discretion choose a replacement winner based on the above criteria, and the original winning entry shall be disqualified.
8. In order to claim the Prize, the winner may be required to provide additional documents or comply with additional steps as required in FT’s discretion. If any of these requirements are not met by the winner within five business days of the request from the FT, the Prize will be forfeited and a replacement winner chosen.
General
9. All national, federal, state and local laws and regulations shall apply. The Competition shall be void where prohibited by law, including where in FT’s reasonable opinion we cannot award a prize or accept an entry due to sanctions laws or any banking restrictions.
10. There is no purchase necessary to win.
11. FT reserves the right in its sole discretion to cancel, suspend or amend the Competition in FT’s sole discretion, and to exclude any entries which it considers are inappropriate or do not comply with the letter or the spirit of these Terms and Conditions.
12. The Publisher agrees to permit FT and OFI (and obtain permissions from any author or other third party as necessary) to broadcast and/or record extracts from the Books for publicity purposes.
13. In the event of any conflicts or inconsistencies between these Terms and Conditions and any other materials, these Terms and Conditions will take precedence.
14. The winner shall be fully responsible for all applicable taxes. In the event that FT is required to withhold taxes on behalf of the winner, then the Prize will be paid net of any tax withheld.
15. FT is not responsible for (i) any incorrect or inaccurate information used in connection with the Competition; or (ii) failures or errors which may occur in the administration of the Competition. To the fullest extent permissible by law, FT excludes liability, and you shall release and hold harmless FT for any damage, loss, liability or injury to person or property or for any claim arising as a result of your entry into the Competition.
16. These terms and conditions shall be governed by and construed in accordance with English law. Disputes arising in connection with this Competition shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the English courts.
17. The promoter is The Financial Times Ltd, Number One Southwark Bridge, London, SE1 9HL, England.
18. By entering the Competition, a Publisher agrees to these terms and conditions on behalf of itself and of all authors of the Books that it enters. Failure to comply may result in disqualification.
