Dear Editor,
Something is sadly amiss with the administration of the Guyana Prize for Literature. During the last ten years, many writers, including winners of the Guyana Prize, have criticized the Prize and the modus operandi of its governance mechanism. Some of the criticisms have been harsh and perhaps insensitive but much have been constructive with suggestions for the improvement in administration.
The credibility of the Prize’s management is now at its nadir. I will use the 2014 Prize to illustrate. The initial closing date for entries was February 28, 2015. This was extended to April 7, 2015 because of the industrial action at the University of Guyana where the office of the Secretary of the Guyana Prize is located.
According to communication from the Management, a shortlist should have been announced by July 24. That was not to be. A subsequent press release indicated that the change of the closing date for entries and CARIFESTA had affected the judging process as some of the judges for the Prize had obligations with CARIFESTA in Haiti.
Another press release, in August, informed the public that a shortlist would have been announced in September after CARIFESTA. No shortlist was announced. Then, on October 16, yet another press release advised on a schedule for the award of the Guyana Prize, without the courtesy of saying why the September date was not honoured. The schedule indicated that the shortlists ‘will be announced on October 31, 2015.’ Typically, the date was not kept. I doubt that the date for the Prize-Giving Ceremony, November 29, will be kept.
Incredibly, on November 2, there was another similar missive from Mr. Al Creighton of the Guyana Prize. It stated that members of the Jury for the Guyana Prize had not yet reached final decisions regarding the shortlists for all the categories of the Prize and were still engaged in deliberations and that as soon as they have agreed on the final decisions, the Management Committee will be ready to publish the Shortlists.
The inability of those administering the Guyana Prize to honour their commitments is unacceptable and inexplicable. Irreparable damage is being done to the Prize as an award of substance. The Management needs to do serious introspection and the Minister of Education needs to intervene now. Those in authority cannot sit still while another great Guyanese trophy becomes a catastrophe.
The Management Committee of the Prize may wish to consider the following suggestions. One, announce the date for the subsequent Prize at the Prize-giving Ceremony of the current Prize. This will allow the Committee adequate time to engage judges, advertise the prize adequately, plan writers’ workshops effectively, and deal with snafus that may arise. Two, identify another location at which entries can be delivered (for example, the National Library). Separate locations will lessen the probability of disruption by unforeseen circumstances. Three, set dates for announcing of the shortlist and the Prize-giving Ceremony at the call for entries. This will force management to work within a time frame.
Finally, as Guyana prepares to celebrate its 50th Anniversary of independence next year, the Guyana Prize for Literature Management Committee may wish to consider staging a special Golden Jubilee edition of the Guyana Prize. The scope of this prize should be wider and may include historical writing and original research.
Yours faithfully,
Lennox Cornette
