‘Take Sri Lankan writing beyond the annual prize’
View(s):The winner of the 2013 Gratiaen Prize was announced at a ceremony held on May 24, 2014 at Park Street Mews, Colombo. Poetry
Panel of judges: Vijay Kumar Nagara, Dr.Shravika Damunupola Amarasekera and Tissa Devendra
predominated this year with Inosha Ijaz (This Nothingness) and Chamali Kariyawasam (A Patchwork Soul) rounding up an all-poetry shortlist and Malinda Seneviratne (Edges) taking home the prize. The judges for the Gratiaen Prize 2013 were Tissa Devendra (Chair), Dr.Shravika Damunupola Amarasekera and Vijay Kumar Nagaraj.
In a day and age where prizes and literary festivals are being whittled down to its barest form and are extremely mutable, Chairperson of the Trustees, Walter Perera,
The shortlist: Standard Chartered Bank CEO Anirvan Ghosh Dastidar presenting a Gratiaen certificate to the mother of Inosha Ijaz (above) and to Chamali Kariyawasam ( below)
highlighted that the Gratiaen Prize has served as an impetus for Sri Lankan writing over the years and has come of age – now in its 21st edition, thanks to considerable help and support over the years.
Addressing the audience on behalf of the judges, Tissa Devendra, Chairperson of the Judging Panel, highlighted that Sri Lankan creative writing has come a long way since Independence and commented on the ”lively experimentation and 
multiplicity of expression” of this year’s entries. Devendra also urged the Trust to take steps to develop Sri Lankan writing in English and perhaps create more platforms, beyond the annual prize.
The Gratiaen Prize is awarded annually for the best work of creative writing in English by a Sri Lankan, resident in the country and is valued at Rs. 200,000. The prize was established in 1993 by Sri Lankan-born writer Michael Ondaatje with the money he received as a joint-winner of the Booker Prize for The English Patient and is named after Ondaatje’s mother, Doris Gratiaen. The award ceremony was supported by Standard Chartered Bank, Sri Lanka, long-term affiliate of the prize.
 Mrinali and Sanjeewani |
 Shamara and Dilko |