South African Literary Awards (SALA)

The South African Literary Awards (SALA) were founded in 2005 to "pay tribute to South African writers who have distinguished themselves as ground-breaking producers and creators of literature", celebrating literary excellence "in the depiction and sharing of South Africa’s histories, value systems, philosophies and art as inscribed and preserved in all the South African official languages". The Awards honour living literary practitioners, as well as posthumous figures. [1]

The SALAs are administered by the wRite associates (R/A Lit Consultants: an events and project management company specialising in the arts, culture and heritage realm, with particular focus on the literary arts), in partnership with the South African Department of Arts and Culture (DAC). The awards recognise a variety of literary forms. Awards given in any year may include: the First-time Published Author Award, the Nadine Gordimer Short Story Award (for writing in African languages in the RSA), the K. Sello Duiker Memorial Literary Award, the Literary Translators Award, the Literary Journalism Award, the Poetry Award, the Creative Non-fiction Award, the Lifetime Achievement Literary Award, the Posthumous Literary Award and the Chairperson’s Award.[2]

Since 2012 the awards have been given at the annual Africa Century International Writers Conference, also run by the wRite associates in partnership with the DAC. The inaugural conference was hosted by the University of the Free State in 2012, supported by the SABC.[3]