Frostrup and Kavenna to judge Young Translators’ Prize 2016

Mariella Frostrup and Joanna Kavenna will be judging Harvill Secker’s Norwegian-language Young Translators’ Prize 2016.

Frostrup, a television presenter and journalist from Oslo in Norway, presents BBC Radio 4 Open Book; and Kavenna, author of A Field Guide to Reality (riverrun), was named one of Granta's Best of Young British Novelists in 2013.

They are joined on the judging panel by Don Bartlett, renowned for his translations including Karl Ove Knausgaard’s My Struggle series into English, and Ellie Steel, editor at Harvill Secker, who has worked with Norwegian authors including Knausgaard, Per Petterson, Dag Solstad and "Norwegian queen of crime" Karin Fossum.

Steel said: "We're so proud to publish writers from all over the world at Harvill Secker, and this would be impossible without the work of our extraordinary translators. The prize aims to find and support brilliant new translators of the future, and we're thrilled that Mariella, Joanna and Don will be judging this year's competition, as we're huge admirers of their work and their passion for language and literature."

The £1,000 prize, which aims to recognise the achievements of young translators at the start of their careers, is this year hosted by Harvill Secker, in partnership with the Royal Norwegian Embassy, Writers’ Centre Norwich and Crossing Border Festival.

Norway was chosen as the 2016 focus in June, and entrants will be asked to translate a short story by Merethe Lindstrøm; ‘Svømme under vann’ (‘Swimming Under Water’) from her collection of the same name. 

The competition is open to anyone between the ages of 18 and 34, with no restriction on country of residence. As well as receiving £1,000 prize, the winner will also receive a selection of Harvill Secker titles, and be invited to take part in a Writers’ Centre Norwich Emerging Translator Mentorship and Crossing Border Festival in November 2016.

The deadline for entries has been extended from 5th August to midnight on Monday 29th August 2016. The winner will be announced on International Translation Day on 30th September 2016.