Asia’s most prestigious literary prize seeks new sponsor

HONG KONG – The Man Asian Literary Prize, Asia’s most prestigious fiction award, has begun talks with potential title partners regarding sponsorship of the Prize in 2013.

Man Group plc, which also sponsors the Man Booker Prizes, has decided to relinquish title sponsorship following the award of this year’s prize in March 2013. Man is meanwhile working with the organizers to support their efforts to find a new title sponsor.

Professor David Parker, Executive Director of the Asian Literary Prize, said: “When the Prize began in 2007 with the aim of bringing the best of Asian new writing to the world, Man stood beside us as our founding partner. Their belief in the project has been unwavering. On behalf of everyone involved in the Asian Literary Prize, I would like to thank Man Group for the steady support that has enabled the Prize, in five short years, to achieve more than any of us would have dreamed possible.

We look forward to the future with a new partner, confident that Asian fiction is now beginning to win the global readership and recognition it deserves. Our most recent winner, Please Look After Mom by South Korean writer Kyung-sook Shin, has recently sold its two millionth copy worldwide – an amazing achievement. One third of the shortlisted writers for this year’s Man Booker Prize are from Asia, and international publishing houses such as Pan Macmillan and Hachette have recently opened offices here in Hong Kong.

The Asian Literary Prize is a unique arts project, bringing together the most exciting new books produced by the diverse literary cultures from Iran to Japan. With the rise of e-readers and tablet computing, the rapid growth of a new class of highly educated and culturally engaged Asian readers, as well as a growing global thirst for Asian fiction in English and English translation, the Prize is well positioned for the next five years and beyond.

We are looking forward to announcing the longlist for the final Man Asian Literary Prize on December 4^th 2012. Looking at the record submissions for 2012, we can tell it is going to be another brilliant year for fiction from our part of the world.”

Peter Clarke, Chief Executive of Man Group, said: “Man is proud to have been involved in raising the profile of both Asian fiction and the prize itself over the past five years as the founding sponsor. We are committed to supporting the prize organisers in finding a new sponsor to ensure the continued development of this leading literary prize.”