The Inuktuuqta Inuktut Writing Prize is a competitive literature prize offering a grand prize of eighty thousand dollars ($80,000), as well as a sponsored creative residency for an Inuk writer to complete and publish a full-length work of fiction written in Inuktut, in accordance with Nunavut Tunngavik Foundation’s Inuktuuqta Policy (the “Policy”). The Inuktuuqta program is managed by Nunavut Tunngavik Inc.’s Department of Social and Cultural Development (the “Organizer”).
Grand prize winners will be paired with established Indigenous authors to act as mentors to help guide the selected author through the creative process of writing, editing, and publishing the work outlined in the written submission.
There will also be cash prizes for four (4) runner-up winners, and their final products, if and when completed, will be compiled and published as well, adding to the repertoire of written materials by Inuit in Inuktut.
The publication of an Inuktut book, and the compiled submissions of the runner-up winners, will add to the ever-growing collection of written Inuktut works, add to available Inuktut language educational materials, and aid in the everyday use and understanding of Inuktut.
Selection Committee of Jurors
The Policy provides that submissions will be reviewed by a Selection Committee of jurors (the “Committee”). The quality of the selection jury and selected mentors may have a significant impact on the quantity and quality of submissions received for an award competition. Jury members and mentors will be considered with care and should represent a high level of excellence and experience in Inuktut literature and storytelling.
The jury will comprise of at least five Inuit who are fluent readers of Inuktut, and represent all three regions where possible. Gender balance will be a consideration in the jury selection. The names of jurors may be publicized at the discretion of the Organizer.
Receiving an invitation to participate in the prize selection jury carries a responsibility. The jury’s work, including the decisions they make in the process, will have an impact on the award Organizer, the individuals whose work the Committee evaluate, and other jury members.
Responsibilities of Jurors
The jury will review submissions that have been screened by the Organizer and meet the minimum requirements stipulated in the Policy.
The selected juror will agree to participate in all Committee meetings, including face-to-face and/or virtual meetings, as well as teleconferences.
A chairperson of the Jury (“Chairperson”) will be appointed by the Organizer amongst the jury members. The main role of the Chairperson is to lead discussions of the jury deliberations and to report on the results of the deliberations. Specifically, the Chairperson will
• preside the jury deliberations;
• ensure that all jury members have a chance to express their opinions on submissions;
• prepare a report for the Organizer on the results of the jury deliberations including the vote scores of each submission, noting any jury dissent if applicable, and detailed rationale supporting the selection decisions.
A judging rubric has been designed to assist the selection jury in making decisions using a weighted points system. If there is a large number of submissions it may take multiple rounds of voting to establish the final round of winners. In these cases, it is practical to establish a short list of finalists and then agree on the winners of the prizes based on the points system through the judging rubric or through discussion and debate among the jury.
It is normal for the jury to have discussions and debates on the merits of the submissions. The Chairperson of the jury should ensure that neither the Organizer nor any outside individual exerts influence on the jury in their work.
Individual jurors should respect the opinions of their colleagues on the jury and not pressure another jury member to change their vote.
The Chairperson will prepare a report of the jury’s work for the organizer. All jury members have the right to contribute observations to the report. Where jury members have dissenting opinions about the results of the judging process, they may ask for this opinion to be recorded in the report.
Conflict of Interest and Confidentiality
The full name and address of the author must be declared on the application form accompanying all submissions. However, names or any other identifier of the submitting authors will be removed from all documents given to the jury to ensure objectivity.
No juror, nor any member of their immediate family living in the same household, may compete in the competition.
Selection jury members must treat both the material they review and any discussions related to their evaluations as confidential. They may not disclose details about the judging rubric or any other details about the jury process nor any comments made by jury members outside of the jury panel, whether verbally or in writing (on social media, for example).
Failure to conform to these Guidelines is grounds for disqualification from a jury panel and forfeiture of any benefits extended by the Organizer.
Timeline
Jurors will be selected as soon as practicable before or after the Call for Submissions but should be appointed no later than two weeks before the deadline in the Call for Submissions.
Where a juror is replaced after the names of the jury have been publicized, notice should be announced on the award competition website and recorded in the report of the jury at the end of the event.
Role of the Organizer in Assisting the Jury
The Organizer shall appoint a staff person to act as the point of contact for the jury and entrants.
The designated staff member, working with other staff at NTF and NTI if necessary, is responsible for:
• receiving all submissions;
• receiving written questions within the time limit stated in the Call for Submissions;
• passing the written questions received, without disclosing any names, to the jury, and communicating between the jury and entrants;
• keeping a register of all submissions;
• pre-screening all submissions to ensure that they meet the minimum requirements outlined in the award competition policies and guidelines, and that the names of the submitting authors do not appear anywhere in the submissions passed to the jury;
• coordinating with the Chairperson and the jury on the review of submissions; and
• completing all other tasks to ensure the process for the program is carried out smoothly.
