European literary prize - Organizational rules

(90/C 35/04)

Aims and conditions

1. An annual prize will be awarded to an author who has made a significant contribution to contemporary European literature. The prize will be awarded for a single work (1), which may belong to any literary genre (2). It must have been published in the three years preceding the opening date for the submission of entries.

2. Candidates must be nationals of a Member State of the European Community. However, nationals of European countries which are not members of the Community are also eligible, in conformity with the resolution of 18 May 1989 concerning books and reading (3).

3. The literary work must be submitted in one of the official languages of the European Community (4).

Amount

A prize of ECU 20 000 will be awarded to the author. In accordance with copyright laws and agreements, Community aid to stimulate translation of the prize-winning work into the other official languages of the Community, up to a maximum of ECU 25 000, will be granted at the initiative of the publisher(s) holding the translation rights. Requests must be submitted no later than two years after the prize has been awarded. This Community aid constitutes a special category, with separate financial arrangements, in the framework of the pilot project for the translation of literary works, and

requests should be formulated in conformity with the annex of this (reproduced here as an annex for information).

Organization

1. Each Member State may nominate up to three separate works for consideration by the European jury. It will be for each Member State to determine their selection procedure for this purpose.

2. The selected works will be made public by the Secretariat referred to in 4 below.

3. The European jury will comprise nine members, who will be chosen each year by the Commission acting on the basis of proposals from the Member States and on the advice of the Committee on Cultural Affairs. A member's term of office may be renewed no more than twice.

4. The decision of the jury is final. It will establish its own rules of procedure.

5. Administration of the prize will be entrusted by the Commission to an independent Secretariat, which will work in close cooperation with the organization responsible for the European City of Culture.

6. The authorities of the Member State hosting the European City of Culture will submit to the Committee on Cultural Affairs the timetable for the procedures relating to the award of the prize, in particular: the opening date, the deadline for Member States' submission of the three works to the European jury, the deadline for forming the European jury and the date of the prize-giving ceremony.

7. Before 30 June 1992 the Committee on Cultural Affairs will examine, in the light of experience gained, any adjustments to these arrangements that it considers necessary.

8. The Commission will publish these arrangements for the European Literary Prize in the Official Journal of the European Communities for information.

(1) The work will be assessed solely on the basis of its literary quality.

(2) E.g. novel, short story, drama, essay, poetry, etc.

(3) Such entries should be included in the lists of works submitted by the Member States of the Community (see below 'Organization`).

(4) As the Treaties of the European Communities are also drawn up in Irish, literary works in this language may also be submitted.

ANNEX

Annex to the pilot project for the translation of literary works (reproduced in connection with the paragraph 'Amount` of the organizational rules)

Supporting information to be provided in the submission by the publisher intending to publish a translation of a contemporary literary work

- Assessment of the anticipated market.

-Evidence that Community support will make a material difference to the translation's commercial viability.

-Agreement in principle between the rights holder(s) and the publisher of the translation.

-Projected completion and publication dates and price, as well as draft contract for the translation and assurances concerning the competence of the translator.

-Marketing plans.

-Assurances that no other public funding has been obtained by the publisher.

-Assurances that both the translator and the European Community will receive a clear acknowledgement.