The Financial Times and Oppenheimer Funds Invite Submissions from the Asia-Pacific region for the Fiction Category of the 2016 Emerging Voices Awards

The Financial Times and OppenheimerFunds are pleased to announce the second annual FT/OppenheimerFunds Emerging Voices Awards, a global initiative designed to recognise artistic talent in emerging-market nations.* The winners in three categories – Art, Fiction, and Film –will be announced in September 2016. Each winner will receive a $40,000 award, and two runners-up per category will receive $5,000.

For 2016, the categories are being moved to new regions, with Art entries coming from Africa and the Middle East, Film from Latin America, and Fiction from Asia-Pacific.

“We know that the Asia-Pacific region is rich in literary talent. These awards are our attempt to learn about, find and reward the best emerging voices and bring them to the attention of a wider audience,”said Michael Skapinker, FT associate editor and chair of the judges.

Last yearYuhangHo of Malaysia won the Emerging Voices film award for “Trespassed”, with runners-up hailing from India, Thailand, and China. 140 applications were received from 12 countries across Asia-Pacific. Exceptional writers from the region are now invited to submit entries for the Emerging Voices Awards in the Fiction category.

The award winner will be chosen by a panel of judges who are influential in fiction, including FT books editor, Lorien Kite. The judges aim to recognise the writer whose work shows outstanding talent and in some way furthers understanding of his or her region. Last year’s judges from Asia included Mira Nair, RithyPanh, and Samira Makhmalbaf.

Submissions are open, and entry guidelines can be found here. The longlist for each category will be announced in June 2016. Shortlisted entrants will be announced in August 2016. All shortlisted participants will be flown to New York for an awards gala on September 26, 2016, at the New York Public Library where the winners will be announced.

“Last year, we set out to find the best artists in Latin America and the Caribbean, the best film-makers in Asia-Pacific and the best fiction writers in Africa and the Middle East. The response was overwhelming. We received 872 entries overall and the standard was exceptionally high. We are hoping for an even bigger response this year,”said MrSkapinker.

“The quality of the submissions we received during our first Emerging Voices Awards program was extraordinary,” said Justin Leverenz, Director of Emerging Market Equities at OppenheimerFunds and Founder of the Emerging Voices Awards. “I am honored to continue this program to help provide a global stage to feature the visionary talent, creativity, and originality of artists from emerging-market nations.”

For more information on the FT/OppenheimerFunds Emerging Voices Awards, please visit ft.com/reports/emerging-voices and join the conversation at #EmergingVoices.

* This list of emerging-market nations was defined by the World Bank Atlas Method (i.e., those with a GNI per capita of less than $12,746).

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For more information please contact:
Vera Alves
+44 (0)20 7775 6088
vera.alves@ft.com


Louis Leslie
+44 (0)20 7873 3411
louis.leslie@ft.com