MAPUTO, July 11, 2023 – The Carlos Morgado Literary Prize, established by the Carlos Morgado Foundation (FCM) and organized by Catalogus, is a competition for new literary voices.
The 2023 edition, in the short story category, with no restriction on scenario or theme, written in Portuguese, covered all Mozambican citizens residing in Mozambique or abroad, without a published book.
Contributing to the construction and projection of new literary voices in Mozambique and, at the same time, celebrating Carlos Morgado's contribution as a Mozambican citizen and defender of noble causes were the objectives defined in the Regulation.
Using a digital platform for submitting short stories, the award received 143 submissions, of which 27 were repeated, 25 were rejected for not complying with the regulations and 91 were evaluated by the jury composed of the co-founder of FCM, Marina Morgado (President), the writer Suleiman Cassamo and literary translator Sandra Tamele.
The prize distinguished, at an event on July 7, 2023, by unanimous vote of the jury, the short story by Francisco Panguana Júnior, A ilegítima defesa de Adão as winner, for considering it well achieved “for the literary quality, cohesion and textual coherence and creativity in portraying the story and characters”. The text crosses moments of magical realism and modern times, it is a journey through time and the dilemma of contemporaneity that challenges change, said writer Suleiman Cassamo, representing the Jury. The winner was entitled to an award including a finalist and winner certificate, monetary value, books by Mozambican authors and the right to copies of the collection of the 10 finalists, yet to be published.
The award first distinguished 10 finalists, awarding them with a finalist certificate, books by Mozambican authors and the right to copies of the collection of the 10 finalists, yet to be published.
Marco Morgado, co-founder of FCM, declared, at the event, his pride in the initiative, demonstrated by the number of submissions and thanked Catalogus for its support in the organization: “For us, the award is to continue next year, we are proud for the organization , the number of submissions and the scope – we reached almost the entire country!” And he added that this initiative is necessary to discover new talents in young Mozambicans and challenged female authors to submit more in the next edition.
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About Us
- Carlos Morgado Foundation (FCM) is a Mozambican non-profit organization that aims to enhance and promote sustainable development in Mozambique.
- Catalogus is a platform for promoting Mozambican authors.