Call for Entries: 33rd Gratiaen Prize
Taking in applications for The 33rd Gratiaen Prize.
Entry rules and downloadable entry forms below.
Deadline: 31st December 2025
Entry Rules for the 2025 Gratiaen Prize for Creative Writing in English
Presented by Michael Ondaatje
The Gratiaen Prize:
Presented by Michael Ondaatje
The Prize of Sri Lanka Rupees 300,000 will be awarded for the best work of creative writing in English by a Sri Lankan citizen resident in Sri Lanka, published for the first time in 2025, or unpublished and ready for publication at the time of entry. Writers temporarily non-resident in the country may apply under Rule 3 (a).
Creative writing eligible for the prize may include novels, collections of short stories, poetry, play- scripts and other genres with distinct and significant creative elements.
Entries for the Prize may be submitted by writers or publishers of the work. The maximum number of entries per writer shall be two (02).
The Entries will be judged by an independent panel of judges appointed by the Trustees.
Entries:
Three (03) copies of each book or manuscript along with One (01) digital copy on a pen drive (clearly marked with the author’s name) should be delivered to the Chairpersons, The Gratiaen Trust, c/o Marga Institute, 941/1, Jayanthi Mawatha, Kotte Road, Etul Kotte, (Monday – Friday, 8.30 am – 4.30 pm), between 1st – 31st December 2025. Entries close midnight on the 31st of December 2025.
Please Note:
Entry forms and rules are available on The Gratiaen Trust website (www.gratiaen.com). To obtain an entry form and rules by email, please email the Secretary to the Trust at [email protected]
Phone Inquiries: 077 311 5839
General Rules
Entries will be judged by an independent panel of judges appointed by the Trustees.
The judges shall not be obliged to name a winner if they are of the opinion that none of the entries submitted merits the prize.
A writer shall be a Sri Lankan citizen aged 16 and over, and resident in Sri Lanka. A writer not resident in Sri Lanka at the time of submitting an application, shall give full particulars regarding residence abroad to include information with documents in support on total period out of Sri Lanka and purpose etc., with the right of the Trustees to call for further information and documents, if deemed necessary at their discretion. The eligibility of an applicant under this criterion shall be assessed and determined by the Trustees based on the objective and mandate of the Gratiaen Trust and shall be final and conclusive.
Entries may include works published for the first time in 2025 or unpublished works ready for publication at the time of entry. For this purpose, “publication” refers to works printed and available for sale to the public. In the case of ebooks, “publication” refers to work published online. The date of first publication should be the date given in the printed book. In the case of play scripts, if there was a production prior to submission, the date of the first production will be taken as the date of publication (with proof). In the case of ebooks, the online publication date would be considered as the first publication date.
Entries submitted for the Prize should be original works, should be of reasonable length and should not have been submitted earlier for the Prize. Books submitted earlier for the prize cannot be re-submitted. In the case of manuscripts, re-submission is possible but only after significant revision, evidence of which should be attached to the Entry form with the descriptions of change together with the earlier manuscript. Entries being re-submitted on the basis of “significant revisions” shall be accepted at the discretion of the Trustees having evaluated the revisions and being satisfied that the entry may be deemed “new”.
If the entry is an unpublished work, but if part of it has been published previously, such published work should not exceed more than one quarter of the total contents of the entry. This condition will not apply to poems or short stories published in periodicals or newspapers.
The author of the prize-winning manuscript must publish or sign a contract for publication of the winning work within two (02) years of the award.
An author may submit entries under a pseudonym. In this event, the entry form should include the name of the author as given in his/her National Identity Card or passport page. The Trust will disclose the actual name of the author to the judges and the general public at the main award event once the judging process has ended, and only if she/he is shortlisted for, or won the award. Where a published work is submitted, it should be submitted under the same name as appears in the publication.
Submission of Entries:
Three (03) copies of each published book, ebook or manuscript entered along with one (01) digital copy (on a pen drive marked with the author’s name) should be sent to the Chairperson, The Gratiaen Trust, c/o Marga Institute, 941/1, Jayanthi Mawatha, Kotte Road, Ethul Kotte, Sri Lanka.
Entries close on the 31st of December 2025.
Entries should be submitted with a completed Entry Form available on The Gratiaen Trust website (www.gratiaen.com), or received by email following a letter of request addressed to the Secretary to the Trust at [email protected] Phone Inquiries (during office hours): 077 311 5839
All manuscripts should be ready for publication, neatly typed on A4 paper, double-spaced (this does not apply to poems) and printed with a one-inch margin all around, pages numbered, with a table of contents and neatly bound (spiral or other). All published books, including ebooks should be submitted in whole including the copyright page with information on the publisher/printer, year of publication, ISBN number and details of authorship. BOOKS, PEN DRIVES, AND MANUSCRIPTS ACCEPTED FOR CONSIDERATION WILL NOT BE RETURNED.
Collections of short stories should contain a minimum of ten (10) substantial short stories and collections of poems should contain a minimum of twenty-five (25) substantial poems.
All information regarding the book, its publication and the author must be accurate. If any discrepancies arise regarding a winning or shortlisted entry, then the Trust reserves the right to retract that award.
Previous winners of the Prize will not be eligible to compete for the next two (02) years.
Conditions pertaining to unpublished work:
If the Prize is awarded to an unpublished work, publication may be undertaken by the author in consultation with the Trust, and all or part of the prize money will be used for this purpose. When submitting the entry, the author should give his/her consent to such publication in the Entry Form.
If the Prize is awarded to an unpublished manuscript, one-half (1/2) of the prize money will be released when the publication contract is signed. If self-published, one-half (1/2) of the prize money will be released when a print contract is signed with a third party. The balance half (1/2) will be released once published. Any variation to this rule shall be in agreement with the Trust.
Sponsors of the Award Event:
John Keells Foundation, the Wijeya Group, British Council, Marga Institute