writing prize
Writing is a form of self-expression, an art form, an outlet of thoughts and emotions. And when you have an audience to share it with, it becomes more. Because at that very moment when you have readers, writing shifts, and it becomes a way of communication, a bridge between you and your audience – built from thoughts and words - it is a transaction, an unwritten contract. Save for some, many don’t even acknowledge writing, let alone consider it a valuable asset to not just an industry but an entire culture and society. So, if there are any budding writers, they must be encouraged to be better.
Recently, The Zeenat Haroon Rashid Writing Prize for Women announced the winners for 2020. This year the Prize was restricted to non-fiction writing and the winning submission was chosen from over 350 entries.
The first prize went to Lahore writer Raniya Hosain for her polemical essay ‘Portrait of a Woman in Pain’ who will receive a cash award of 100,000 PKR.
At just 21 years of age, Raniya Hosain is a precocious talent who had shown early promise when she won the Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition in 2014 at the age of 15. Hailing from Lahore, Raniya is currently studying for her Master’s degree in English Literature at King’s College, London.
Raniya’s experiential examination of womanhood in Pakistan weaves a picture that is at once personal and prosaic as well as universal and profound. The judges agreed that they had found an original voice with a striking command of her craft and were particularly impressed by the variety of genres on offer in her submission: “It’s comic, it’s sad, it’s angry. A clever, multi-dimensional piece full of memorable one-liners and razor-sharp wit.”
Furthermore, the judges also highly commended the remaining shortlisted entries for their literary merit: ‘Bad House’ by Ayesha Alizeh Arbab; ‘Fathers Be Good To Your Daughters’ by Tooba Masood-Khan; ‘Hairy’ by Sara Khan; ‘Inheritance’ by Yumna Baloch. ‘Moti, Saand’ by Angbeen Abbas.
The high quality of the writing completely exceeded the expectations of the judges. They agreed that the shortlisted writers each displayed excellent literary skills and above all, courage, in tackling some uncomfortable truths. “It may be my imagination, but I felt as if the women were writing in solidarity with each other. This powerful array of voices coming out of Pakistan should be heard!” commented Alice Albinia, one of the judges.
The winning submission will be published in a national newspaper, both online and in print in December, and all shortlisted submissions will be posted on the official prize website, www.zhrwritingprize.com shortly thereafter.
–– A. Jafri