Rules & Guidelines Governing Manipur State Kala Akademi Award (Literature)
Short Title: Rules & Guidelines Governing Manipur State Kala Akademi Award (Literature). These rules will come into effect immediately.
1. General:
i) There shall be six (6) awards every year foroutstanding contribution by Indian authors in the following category:
(a) Creative Work in Manipuri;
(b) Critical Work in Manipuri (literary and cultural studies);
(c) Translation (from languages recognised by Sahitya Akademi, other national and international languages to Manipuri and vice versa).
The book to be selected for each of the three categories of award should be first published during the five years prior to the year of the award.
ii) While assessing books for the awards, the literary merit of the works shall be the main consideration. Where two or more books are found to be of equal merit, the total literary contribution and standing of the authors/translators shall be taken into consideration.
iii) All awards shall carry a cash amount of Rs. 50,000/- (Rupees fifty thousand) only, a memento, and a Certificate of Honour. The amount may be changed from time to time as decided by the Executive Board and the General Council of the Akademi.
iv) The awards may not be given during any year if, in the opinion of the Jury constituted under Rule 3(iii), no books published during the five years prior to the year of the awards merits the awards.
2. Criteria for Eligibility of the Awards:
- In order to be eligible for the award, the book shall be an outstanding contribution to Manipuri literature. The book shall be a creative, critical or translation work.
- A work of anthology, abridgement or a compilation shall not be eligible for the awards.
- A fresh collection of writings published earlier in book-form or revised editions of books published shall not be eligible for the awards.
- A book published in part shall not be considered for the awards.
- A treatise or a research work prepared for a university degree or examination shall not be eligible for the awards.
- A posthumous publication is not eligible for the awards. However, a book may be eligible for the awards if it is published within a period of one (1) year from the demise of the author/translator.
- A book which may cause communal disharmony or may hurt the sentiment of a section of society or community or may affect national integrity shall not be considered for the awards.
- Books written by Fellows and members of the Executive Board, General Council and Standing Committees/ Advisory Committees of Manipur State Kala Akademi shall not be eligible for the awards.
- No author who has earlier received the award is eligible to receive it again in the same category.
- A book shall be disqualified for the awards if it is established to the satisfaction of the Executive Board and General Council of the Akademi that canvassing has been done by the author/translator.
- A person shall not be considered for any of the awards if he/she had on earlier occasion dishonoured any other award conferred by the Akademi.
3. Preparation of Final Ground List for Each Category of Award for Obtaining Recommendations:
- The Standing Committee for Literature shall recommend a panel of five (5) names for preparation of preliminary ground list consisting of ten (10) books. Secretary, Manipur State Kala Akademi shall choose one (1) expert out of this panelfor preparation of preliminary ground list consisting of ten (10) books.
- Preliminary ground lists, each comprising ten (10) books, shall also be invited from literary organisations recognised by Manipur State Kala Akademi.
- The ground lists from the expert and the literary organisations shall be collated.
- A list of ten (10) books that receive maximum entries in the collated preliminary ground lists shall make up the Final Ground List.
- The Final Ground List so prepared should be sent to all the members of the Standing Committee for Literature with request to recommend, by such date as may be fixed by the Akademi, three (3) titles. A member may select all the titles from the ground list or two (2) titles from the ground list and the other one on his own.
- (a) The Standing Committee for Literature shall recommend a panel of not less than twenty (20) experts and Secretary, Manipur State Kala Akademi shall choose fifteen (15) experts out of this panel to form the Preliminary Panel. b) The Standing Committee shall also recommend a panel of ten (10) names of writers, scholars and critics for a three-member Jury. Secretary, Manipur State Kala Akademi shall select the three (3) Jury members out of the panel.
- Each member of the Preliminary Panel consisting of fifteen (15) experts shall recommend three (3) titles. A member may select all the titles from the Final Ground List or two (2) titles from the ground list and the other one on his own.
- (a) The recommendations from members of the Standing Committee and those from members of the Preliminary Panel shall be collated. (b) The three (3) books that receive maximum recommendations are shortlisted by Secretary, Manipur State Kala Akademi for sending to the Jury. The number of shortlisted books may exceed three in cases where more than three books receive the same number of recommendations.
4. The Jury and its Function:
- The Secretary of the Akademi shall be the convener of the meeting of the Jury. He/she shall conduct the meeting of the Jury and shall countersign the report of the Jury.
- The Jury members shall, either by consensus or by majority, recommend abook for the award. They may also recommend that, in their opinion, no book is eligible for the award during the year. In the event of a member not being able to attend the meeting, he/she may convey his/her view in writing.
- Each member of the Jury shall be paid such remuneration as may be determined by the Akademi.
5. Declaration of Awards:
i) The recommendation of the Jury shall be placed before the Executive Board and the General Council of Manipur State Kala Akademi for formal approval and announcement of the awards along with the names of the Jury members.