BEIJING, April 24, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- The 9th Blancpain-Imaginist Literary Prize was officially launched on April 15, 2026. From today through May 15, the organizing committee of the Prize accepts submissions from the organizing committee will accept submissions from publishing houses, publishing companies, or individual authors. The final winner will be announced at the awards ceremony in late October. The young writer honored with the top prize will receive RMB 300,000 in writing support. The other four shortlisted authors will each receive the Blancpain Young Friend Award, a certificate of shortlist selection, and a writing fee of RMB 20,000, in recognition of their creative dedication and to encourage their ongoing literary pursuits.

Founded on the principles of "Fairness, Authority, and Professionalism", the Blancpain-Imaginist Literary Prize seeks to discover and nurture outstanding young writers under the age of 45 in Chinese-language literature. The co-organizers—Blancpain and Imaginist—have also consistently conveyed a simple yet profound message with the public: "Reading makes time more valuable."

The judging panel of the Prize brings together a diverse group of iconic figures from Chinese literature and culture, with membership renewed annually to ensure richness and high standards. This year's jury consists of DAI Jinhua, GE Fei, TONG Weige, ZHOU Xiaofeng, and ZHOU Yijun (listed in alphabetical order by surname).

The Annual Theme of the Blancpain-Imaginist Literary Prize: The Decisive Moment of Literature

A moment that demands resolve.

Over the past year—amidst controversies, the perplexity of originality, crises of trust, and disenchantment with values—"literature" has stood at the center, either as a target of critique or a faith still guarded in earnest. Meanwhile, AI's fundamental restructuring of basic creative writing compels us to ask: can what writing has lost be balanced by what it has gained? What is the meaning of literature today?

Much like the upheavals of the Industrial Revolution, we now find ourselves once again in a tangible technological jungle and a creative fog of perpetual uncertainty. The singularity of writing is being eroded; original storytelling and literary sensibility are being challenged. Yet it is precisely in such moments that we can more clearly recognize, among the followers of this ancient craft, those who are more open and sincere. And amid the countless expressions, we perceive an urgent need in everyone for the "literary moment" in life—all fixed forms of expression will be replaced, but we will always need love, need to verify the smallest existence, need a sense of hope that we know may be out of reach, and a life that can be told. Instinct will awaken this longing time and again. "A novel is no mere outward thing." So the future is indeed brutal, but not yet that grim—more like a perilous enchantment.

We try to pierce the fog, place a node in advance along the vertical axis of time, and hope that our young and courageous friends, at this known turning point, will quietly make their decisions and offer their true hearts. We call upon everyone devoted to literature to step away from inertia and old orders, to break with mediocrity, and to guard the humanistic convictions we still hold dear. This "decision" does not mean leaving the table; rather, it means casting one's heart with the pen—to record, in the face of all dissolution, inertia, and shortcuts, the hidden traces of our time, to preserve the ache of the human heart, and to rebuild the spiritual coordinates of a new world.

This is the decisive moment of literature—and the first step for each of us to finally find our way through the labyrinth.

Special Clarifications on Eligibility for the Blancpain-Imaginist Literary Prize 2026

The Blancpain-Imaginist Literary Prize is founded on the principles of "Fairness, Authority, and Professionalism", and its eligibility criteria have been established accordingly. In light of certain situations encountered during previous submissions, the Prize evaluation office hereby provides the following clarifications on points that are easily overlooked (full eligibility text attached at the end), so as to avoid invalid submissions.

1. According to the Eligibility Criteria, for short story collections: The work must be the first published collection of its kind, and content appearing for the first time in a physical single-volume edition must account for at least two-thirds of the total word count. When submitting, please provide the dates of the first publication and release of each individual story along with your signature or the official stamp of your organization.

2. According to the Eligibility Criteria, a "single-volume edition" is defined as a physical (paper) single-volume edition. Electronic publications are not accepted.

3.According to the Eligibility Criteria, the work must have been published between May 1, 2025, and April 30, 2026, based on the copyright page of the first edition.

4. According to the Submission Method: "Each author may submit only one work for consideration" means that regardless of whether the submission is made by a publisher, publishing house, or by the author personally, the same author may only submit one work.

Blancpain-Imaginist Literary Prize 2026 Jury

DAI Jinhua, distinguished Professor of Humanities in the Department of Chinese Language and Literature, Peking University; Director of the Center for Film and Cultural Studies. Author of Emerging from the Horizon of History: A Study of Modern Chinese Women's Literature, Invisible Writing: Cultural Studies of China in the 1990s, The Boat Across: Women's Writing and Women's Culture in the New Era of China, Scenery in the Fog, The Island of the Day Before, among others.

GE Fei, writer; Professor in the Department of Chinese Language and Literature, Tsinghua University; Director of the Center for Literary Creation and Research, Tsinghua University. Author of novels including The Jiangnan Trilogy, Look Forward to Spring Breeze, Ascending the Spring Terrace, novellas and short stories including The Lost Boat, The Invisibility Cloak, and essay collection The Path of Clouds, among others.

TONG Weige, writer. Author of novels The Northwest Rain and The Age of No Hurt, collections Labodeshi Random Numbers and Fairy Tales, short story collection Wang Kao, and stage play collection All Things Grow.

ZHOU Xiaofeng, writer. Author of essay collections The Great Whale Sings, Like Migratory Birds, The Kiss of an Evil Beast, and fairy tales The Little Wing, Star Fish, Your Kindness Looks Like a Bad Idea, etc. She has won awards including the Lu Xun Literature Prize and the National Excellent Children's Literature Award.

ZHOU Yijun, documentary director, writer, journalist. Author of The Gate of Life and Death in the Middle East and Out of the Middle East: Witness and Reflection of the Global Democracy Wave. Director of the documentary Childhood Elsewhere and the cultural talk show First Person Plural.

About the Blancpain-Imaginist Literary Prize

Co-founded by Blancpain, Manufacture de Haute Horlogerie, and Imaginist, China's most influential publishing brand, the Blancpain-Imaginist Literary Prize is the first award in Chinese-language literature jointly established by a luxury brand and a publishing house to discover and nurture outstanding young writers under the age of 45. The principles of "Fairness, Authority, and Professionalism" were set at its inception and have remained consistently upheld.

The participation and vitality of young people are always crucial indicators of an industry's future. In literary creation, talented young writers need opportunities; literary publishers need to discover promising authors and attract broader attention and involvement. Many contemporary classic writers were discovered and recognized in their youth, and literary prizes established specifically for young writers have been profoundly meaningful to them. For example, V.S. Naipaul, J.M. Coetzee, and Kazuo Ishiguro all received the Booker Prize earlier in their careers before winning the Nobel Prize in Literature. Major Japanese writers such as Shūsaku Endō, Kenzaburō Ōe, and Ryū Murakami were honored with the Akutagawa Prize in their youth. In today's world, literary writing remains a lonely and long journey for young authors. The Blancpain-Imaginist Literary Prize sincerely aspires to seek out future writing talents who, like true artisans, refine every word — stroke by painstaking stroke.

As China's most influential publishing brand, Imaginist is committed to discovering the finest voices in the Chinese-speaking world, giving dignified publication to thoughtful writing, and imagining new possibilities for books. Works of writers such as MU Xin, Pai Hsien-yung, Chang Ta-chun, and TANG Nuo have nourished the spiritual universe of generations of readers. Imaginist persists in publishing literary classics across time while also bringing together today's most vibrant and thoughtful young writers, who, through diverse writing and open perspectives, attend to the human condition. Literature worth pursuing always lies beyond; ideal literature always expands outward. To push beyond boundaries — such is the literary ethos of Imaginist.

With the Manufacture de Haute Horlogerie (MDHH) hallmark on its logo, Blancpain is a true fine watchmaking brand. For Blancpain, the "Creator of Classic Timepieces," watchmaking, like writing, springs from an unchanging passion. Founded in 1735, Blancpain led the watchmaking industry into the era of brands. Over nearly 300 years, through changing times and historic choices, Blancpain has adhered to its belief in crafting only mechanical watches, upholding the principle of never producing second-tier timepieces, and holding Haute Horlogerie as its eternal passion. This passion shares the same origin as the commitment of writers to literature and the pursuit of classic works. "Moving forward in the depth of time, making literature as an extension of time"—this is Blancpain's literary spirit.

Submissions and Eligibility

Prizes

Top Prize Winner (one author): RMB 300,000

Shortlisted Finalists (four authors): RMB 20,000 each

Eligibility Criteria

Submitted works must be full-length novels or short story collections written in Chinese, officially published and distributed as physical single-volume editions on the Chinese mainland between May 1, 2025, and April 30, 2026 (based on the copyright page of the first edition). Anthologies or collections by multiple authors are not accepted. For short story collections, the work must be the first published collection of its kind, and content appearing for the first time in a physical single-volume edition must account for at least two-thirds of the total word count. When submitting, please provide the dates of the first publication and release of each individual story along with your signature or the official stamp of your organization.

The age of the author must be under 45 (calculated at the time of the work's publication). The publication date is determined based on the copyright page of the first edition. Reprints are not eligible.

Submission Method

Submissions may be made by publishers (publishing houses or companies) or by individual authors.

By publishers: Submit an official letter listing recommended works, along with a completed "Blancpain-Imaginist Literary Prize Recommendation Form"(Click on this link to download) with an official stamp. Send the form and five copies of each work to the Prize evaluation office. Each publisher may recommend up to two works, with the author's consent required.

By individual authors: Complete the "Blancpain-Imaginist Literary Prize Recommendation Form," sign it, attach a copy of your personal ID, and send the form along with five copies of your work to the Prize evaluation office.

Each author may submit only one work for consideration.

Submissions must be postmarked or courier-dated by May 15, 2026.

In addition to the printed materials, please send the electronic version of the work (PDF file), front and 3D cover images (without belly band, JPG files over 5MB), and an electronic copy of the Blancpain-Imaginist Literary Prize Recommendation Form (WORD document) to the designated email address. The Prize evaluation office will confirm receipt. Submitted sample copies will not be returned.

If a work is found to be ineligible, the Prize evaluation office reserves the right to disqualify it.

Mailing Address

Blancpain-Imaginist Literary Prize Evaluation Office

Building B51, Hengtong International Business Park, No. 10 Jiuxianqiao Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing, China.

Postal Code: 100015

Tel: 010-53381268

Email: BLANCPAIN-IMAGINIST@imaginist.com.cn

Judging Process

The 2026 jury members are DAI Jinhua, GE Fei, TONG Weige, ZHOU Xiaofeng, and ZHOU Yijun (listed alphabetically by surname).

Submissions will be received, organized, and numbered by the Prize evaluation office, then forwarded to the five judges.

The judges will read all submitted works, discuss them, and each recommend titles. Through discussion and voting, they will determine the longlist. After three rounds of open voting, the shortlist will be selected, and from it the final winner will be chosen.

1. The organizing committee fully respects the independent judgment of the judges throughout the process; the longlist, shortlist, and final winner are determined solely by the jury.

2. All judges must read all submitted works for the current year.

3. After repeated review of longlisted works, the judges will score, discuss, and vote at the shortlist jury meeting. The top five works will comprise the shortlist.

4. The top prize winner will be chosen by final vote at the jury meeting on the morning of the awards ceremony.

Attentions

On August 1st, the Prize evaluation office will announce the longlist based on each judge's nominations, discussion, and voting.

On September 15th, the Prize evaluation office will announce the shortlist based on the five finalists selected by majority vote of the judges.

The final winner (one) will be announced at the awards ceremony to be held in late October (the exact date will be announced separately).

For updates on judging procedures and prize progress, follow the hashtag #BlancpainImaginistLiteraryPrize# on Sina Weibo and Xiaohongshu, or visit the official website: http://www.ilixiangguo.com/literary.html.

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