{"id":6289,"date":"2026-04-17T14:13:03","date_gmt":"2026-04-17T08:43:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/fintechnews.lk\/?p=6289"},"modified":"2026-04-17T14:13:05","modified_gmt":"2026-04-17T08:43:05","slug":"the-gratiaen-trust-announces-the-longlist-for-the-33rd-annual-gratiaen-prize","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fintechnews.lk\/index.php\/2026\/04\/17\/the-gratiaen-trust-announces-the-longlist-for-the-33rd-annual-gratiaen-prize\/","title":{"rendered":"The Gratiaen Trust Announces the Longlist for the 33rd Annual Gratiaen Prize"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The<\/strong> Gratiaen<\/strong> Trust,<\/strong> in partnership with John Keells Foundation, and supported by the British Council, proudly announces the longlist for the 33rd annual<\/strong> Gratiaen<\/strong> Prize,<\/strong> Sri Lanka\u2019s most prestigious literary accolade for creative writing in English. This announcement marks the first milestone in this year\u2019s prize cycle, continuing a legacy of recognising and nurturing outstanding literary talent across the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The 2026 invitation for applications for the Prize received a record number of entries, showcasing a broad mix of voices, styles, and perspectives in contemporary Sri Lankan writing. From this group, the judges have chosen 12 works for the longlist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The longlisted authors for the 33rd Gratiaen Prize are:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

@#$%!Daham – Aneesha Ansar<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chameleon Silva – Keith Jayasekera<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dear Father: The Refugee – Alan de Costa<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Divergent Among my Neurons – Gaveen Prabhasara<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gallivanting – Ciara Mandulee Mendis<\/p>\n\n\n\n

God, Bangles and a Constitution- Anuththara Ekeli<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the Curve of the Smile – Uvini Atukorala<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Reading Palms: a collection of poems – Oshanthaka Cabraal<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Department of Chosen Ones- Thisuri Wanniarachchi<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Son and the Lover- Visakesa Chandrasekaram<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Time is a Paper Crane and Other Stories- Eshana Ranasinghe<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To Hear You Breathe – Sajla Anees<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Gratiaen Prize, Sri Lanka\u2019s leading English literary award, celebrates original and unpublished works that show literary quality, creativity, and depth. Eligible submissions include original fiction, poetry, drama, or creative prose by Sri Lankan citizens or residents. Manuscripts must not have been published before in print or online. This longlist highlights the growing diversity of Sri Lankan writing in English, with authors exploring many themes, identities, and experiences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This year\u2019s judging panel combines creative, academic, and editorial expertise. It is chaired by V. V. Ganeshananthan, an award-winning author whose novel, Brotherless<\/em> Night,<\/em> won the 2024 Women\u2019s Prize for Fiction, the 2024 Carol Shields Prize, and the 2023 Asian Prize. She is joined by Dinidu Karunanayake, Assistant Professor of English at Elon University, specialising in postcolonial and diasporic literature, and Azara Jaleel, Editor-in-Chief of ARTRA Magazine, whose work with Sri Lanka\u2019s modern and contemporary art scene offers a well-informed reader\u2019s perspective.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The longlist announcement marks the start of the 2026 prize season, with the shortlist coming in the next few weeks. The shortlist will be revealed on 4th May 2026 at the British Council, and the final winner announced on 6th June 2026. The Gratiaen Trust continues its long partnership with John Keells Foundation, the CSR entity of the John Keells Group, whose commitment to empowering a healthy and inclusive society is reflected in its efforts to promote social cohesion through the creative industries. The British Council also continues to back the Trust\u2019s work in promoting international literary exchange and dialogue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Paikiasothy Saravanamuttu, Chairperson of The Gratiaen Trust, congratulated the longlisted authors, saying, \u201cThis year\u2019s longlist shows how English creative writing in Sri Lanka continues to grow. We are inspired by the variety of voices and the richness of the stories, with writers sharing narratives that are both personal and wide-ranging. The Gratiaen Prize is dedicated to giving these voices a platform to be recognised and celebrated.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

V. Ganeshananthan, chair of the judging panel, said, \u201cIt\u2019s been an honour to discuss this year\u2019s submissions. The longlisted works demonstrate ambitious scope, startling intimacy, global perspectives, and strong, diverse voices. We are excited to showcase this powerful literature for readers in Sri Lanka and around the world.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As the Trust keeps supporting literary excellence, the 33rd Gratiaen Prize confirms its role in giving Sri Lankan writers a platform to be recognised, supported, and celebrated both at home and abroad. For more details, please visit www.gratiaen.com<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Source: Ada Derana Biz <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Gratiaen Trust, in partnership with John Keells Foundation, and supported by the British Council, proudly announces the longlist for the 33rd annual Gratiaen Prize, Sri Lanka\u2019s most prestigious literary accolade for creative writing in English. This announcement marks the first milestone in this year\u2019s prize cycle, continuing a legacy of recognising and nurturing outstanding literary talent across the country. The 2026 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":6290,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6289","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/fintechnews.lk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6289","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/fintechnews.lk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/fintechnews.lk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fintechnews.lk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fintechnews.lk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6289"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/fintechnews.lk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6289\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6291,"href":"https:\/\/fintechnews.lk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6289\/revisions\/6291"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fintechnews.lk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6290"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/fintechnews.lk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6289"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fintechnews.lk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6289"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fintechnews.lk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6289"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}