The shortlist for the Sahityapost Uttam Kavya Award 2081, awarded to debut authors in Nepali poetry, has been officially announced. The shortlist includes five poets who have published their first poetry collections.
The shortlisted works include Navayugki Sumnima by Shakun Aansu, Banda Kothako Jhyal by Hemant Shishir, Bagdai Bagdai by Jagannath Paudel, Ma Timi Aaunu Aghinai Gaisakeko Thiye by Aryash, and Mayako Aayatan by Madhusudan Ghimire.
Earlier, from among 42 debut poetry collections submitted to Sahityapost in the year 2081, a longlist of 12 titles had been published. The current shortlist of five books was selected after evaluating those 12 titles.
The longlist had included works such as Aura by actor and poet Rajballabh Koirala, Navayugki Sumnima by Shakun Aansu, Prithviko Swetapatra by Amardeep Sunuwar, Band Kothako Jhyal by Hemant Shishir, Bagdabagdai by Jagannath Paudel, Ma Timi Aaunu Aghinai Gaisakeko Thieँ by Aryash, Marubhumima Basanti Yam by Bipin Pathak, Mayako Aayatan by Madhusudan Ghimire, Yauvan Haraeko Manche by D.I.B. Sikaru, Sapana ra Chhayaaharu by Ram Adhikari, Hawama Aljheko Swar by Sijan Shrestha, and the ghazal collection Dhartiko Jun by Bibash Paudel.
The shortlist was selected by a panel that included section editors of Sahityapost, based on various poetic elements such as structure, use of imagery and symbolism, perspective, originality, social consciousness, contemporary relevance, presentation, and the meaningfulness of titles.
From the five shortlisted collections, three will be chosen as the top selections, and among them, one will be declared the winner of the Sahityapost Uttam Kavya Award, which carries a cash prize of NPR 50,000.
The award is sponsored by renowned lyricist and poet Uttam Bhaukaji, who has made significant contributions in the fields of education and health. Bhaukaji has penned dozens of popular songs.
The shortlists for the Sahityapost Uttam Non-Fiction Award and Fiction Award will be announced on Jestha 2 (Friday) and Jestha 4 (Sunday), respectively. In the final stage, the top three books from each of the three genres — poetry, fiction, and non-fiction — will be declared as Sahityapost Navaratna 2081. One outstanding work from each category will receive a prize of NPR 50,000 along with formal honors at an official award ceremony.
