THE SECOND LAUNCH OF INUKTUUQTA! WRITING PRIZE

(March 3, 2022 – Iqaluit, Nunavut) Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated (NTI) President Aluki Kotierk is pleased to launch the second Inuktuuqta! Inuktut Writing Prize. The Inuktuuqta! Inuktut Writing Prize will award one author with $80,000 and support to continue writing over a year, including a writing residency and mentorship, to develop their material into a full-length book. Four additional prizes will be awarded in the values of $10,000, $5,000, $3,000 and $2,000. NTF will work with the winning authors to complete and publish their work. “Inuktuuqta! promotes the richness and diversity of Inuktut in Nunavut and instills pride in our Inuit culture and languages. During the first Inuktuuqta! NTI received submissions from 67 Inuit authors. We heard, loud a clear, that there is a strong desire to see more written works by Inuit and for Inuit. This in one way to ensure that our language continues to thrive”, says President Kotierk. All creative ideas are welcome, in any of Nunavut’s Inuktut languages and in the author’s preferred writing style. Nunavut Inuit over the age of 18 are eligible. Submissions/outlines must be for unpublished, original book or collection of short stories or poems and are due May 30, 2022. The application form and additional information are available on NTI’s website. On February 21, 2022, NTI took part in the launch of the International Decade of Indigenous Languages 2022 – 2032. Over the next ten years, the international community will take steps towards the preservation, revitalization, and promotion of Indigenous Languages throughout the world. Inuktuuqta! will contribute to this goal by creating Inuktut literature and increasing the everyday use and understanding of Inuktut. Inuktuuqta! is funded and administered by the Nunavut Tunngavik Foundation (NTF), a charitable organization operated by NTI.

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For further information: Lucy Maynard A/Director of Inuit Programs & Services Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated Tel: (867) 645-5400 Toll-free: 1-888-236-5400
lmaynard@tunngavik.com www.tunngavik.comMalaya Mikijuk Director of Communications Trainee Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated Tel: (867) 975-4900 Toll-free: 1-888-646-0006
mmikijuk@tunngavik.com www.tunngavik.com Backgrounder Objective The Nunavut Tunngavik Foundation (NTF) recognizes the importance of protecting, promoting and revitalizing Inuktut in written works and wishes to provide an incentive and support to encourage more Inuit to write and publish material in Inuktut. Prize Inuktuuqta! will award one author:

1. a) a monetary award of eighty thousand dollars ($80,000.00)
2. b) an opportunity for a sponsored writing residency; and
3. c) an opportunity to work with other Inuit such as writers, linguists, mentors, and editors etc. to finalize their written work as a full-length book.

Cash prizes for four (4) runner-up winners (the “Additional Prizes”), and their submissions will be compiled and published as well, adding to the repertoire of written materials by Inuit in Inuktut. The amount of the Additional Prizes for runner-up winners will be as follows: Ten thousand dollars ($10,000.00) - 2nd place Five thousand dollars ($5,000.00) - 3rd place Three thousand dollars ($3,000.00) - 4th place Two thousand dollars ($2,000.00) - 5th place Eligibility Any Inuk enrolled under the Nunavut Agreement over the age of 18, is eligible to submit an Inuktut material for consideration. The following individuals are excluded from applying: NTF Board of Directors and employees; Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. (NTI) Board of Directors and employees; and Inuktut Writing Contest Selection Committee and Appeal Committee members. Criteria To be considered for Inuktuuqta! an Inuk must submit an Inuktut material which outlines the intended full-length written composition in Inuktut with a minimum of 8 double-spaced pages and a maximum of 12 double-spaced pages. The Inuktut written work must be an original work written by the author which has not been previously published. The Inuktut written work must not contain content written by other writers. Requirements The submission of an Inuktut written work must include an application form. The authors name must not appear anywhere in the Inuktut material either in the body, the title, or the electronic file name to ensure the objectivity of the selection jury. Submission Period Submissions are due May 30, 2022 at 5:00 PM EST. Review of Submissions Submissions will be pre-screened by NTI staff to ensure the submissions meet the requirements of the Prize and the threshold requirement of minimum and maximum page count. Submissions will be reviewed by a Selection Committee comprised of experts in Inuktut linguistics, creative writing, and publishing. The committee will include regional representation of Nunavut and may include appointment of alternate members to review Inuinnaqtun written works. The review by the Selection Committee will be fair, impartial and inclusive to all forms of Inuktut written works. The review must also respect all dialects and preferences of dialects by the applicants. The review may include whether there is adequate regional representation of all Inuktut written works. Appeal Process An unsuccessful applicant may appeal the decision to an Appeals Committee comprising of up to three (3) individuals appointed by NTI President. The decision of the Appeals Committee is final. The appeal application must provide reasons for the appeal to be considered. If there is a complaint of plagiarism, or if the screening staff, or a member of the selection jury suspects that a submission has been plagiarized, NTI will conduct a reasonable investigation and disqualify the submission if plagiarism has been found.  

📄 NR 2022 03 03 Inuktuuqta ENG

📄 2022 02 22 IWPSubmissionGuidelines

📄 2022 02 22 Inuktut Writing Prize Application Form english 2