On November 25 and 26, the inaugural “Oxford-BNU Creative Writing Award”, jointly organized by the International Writing Centre of Beijing Normal University, the Oxford Prospects and Global Development Institute (OPGDI) and Regent’s Park College, came to an end.

The winning works of this award were announced respectively by BNU and Oxford University. BNU announced the Chinese award-winning works on November 25, and Oxford University held an offline award ceremony at Regent Park College of Oxford University on November 26. The work “Six Legged Horse" created by Jiao Dian, a doctoral student at the School of Chinese Language and Literature of BNU, and the work “Girl, Woman, River” created by Megan Chester, a Master of Creative Writing at Somerville College of Oxford University won the gold medal.

OPGDI’s Director, Dr Shidong Wang, recalled the Award’s origins in a conversation with 2012 Nobel Prize winner in Literature Mo Yan during his June 2019 visit to Oxford, when he opened Mo Yan International Writing Centre and became a Regent’s Park College Honorary Fellow. Those conversations led to this parallel competition taking place in two languages and two countries.

Mo Yan extended his congratulations to the 22 shortlisted Oxford authors and said he was: ‘Confident this Award will nourish the field of literary creation’ with ‘excellent works produced to enrich our world’s literary treasure house.’

The competition for a short story attracted 70 entries and judges included Boyd Tonkin, former chair of the judging panel of the Man Booker International Prize, Lynn Robson and Davis Bunn of Regent’s Park College, and Liz Trubridge, Executive Producer of Downton Abbey. Speaking collectively for the judges, Boyd Tonkin praised the competition shortlist for fiction which ‘roamed so freely around different genres, voices and registers.’ The authors, he said ‘were bold. They were inventive. They took risks. They bent rules. They showed that fiction, even short fiction, really is a garden where a hundred flowers can bloom.’

Beijing Normal University and Oxford University have maintained a good cooperative relationship for a long time, and have carried out in-depth cooperation in the fields of international talent training, academic research and cultural exchange.

LINK: Prizes announced for inaugural creative writing award founded by Nobel Prize laureate