Dinghai district in Zhoushan, Zhejiang province held a news conference on April 20 to announce the launch of the fifth Sanmao Prose Prize.

This prestigious award is named after Sanmao, the pen name of Echo Chan, a revered contemporary Chinese novelist, writer, and translator from Taiwan. Her ancestral residence, built by her grandfather, is located in Miaoqiao village of Dinghai district. Sanmao is celebrated for her renowned work Stories of the Sahara.

The prize encompasses two categories: essay collections and individual essays. Submissions for the fifth edition must have been publicly released between Jan 1, 2022, and Dec 31, 2023, and must be in Chinese. Individual essays are encouraged to exceed 4,000 words in length.

The deadline for submissions is Sept 30, with the award ceremony scheduled for April 2025.

A total of 18 prize winners will be selected, each eligible to receive a maximum prize of 50,000 yuan ($6,903.17).

A series of supporting activities will also be organized to enhance the prominence of Dinghai.

Dinghai hosted the first Sanmao Prose Award ceremony in 2016.