One prize is given for the best translation of a modern work of literature and the other for the best classical literary translation. Translators of any nationality are welcome to apply. Submissions will be judged on the literary merit of the translation and the accuracy with which it reflects the spirit of the Japanese original. Eligible works include unpublished manuscripts, works in press, or books published during the two years prior to the prize year. Applications are accepted from translators or their publishers.
Previous winners are ineligible.
The application due date is February 15, 2001. For detailed eligibility requirements and entry procedures, please contact the Donald Keene Center or download and print out the application form in PDF format. Cornell University East Asia Series Professor Smethurst is currently a Professor of Classics and Adjunct Professor of East Asian Languages and Literatures at the University of Pittsburgh. She spent the 2000-2001 academic year as a Visiting Professor of Humanities at the Mita Campus of Keio University in Japan. In 1990 Professor Smethurst was awarded the American Association of University Presses' Hiromi Arisawa Memorial Award for The Artistry of Aeschylus and Zeami.