The Sapir Prize for Literature of Israel is an important annual award given for a piece of writing in the Hebrew language. The prize is given by Mifal HaPayis, which is Israel's state lottery. It is part of the organization's cultural programs. The prize is named after Pinhas Sapir, a former Finance Minister of Israel. It was first given in the year 2000.
Prize money
The Sapir Prize, inspired by the British Man Booker Prize, is the most valuable literary award in Israel. Out of five books chosen as finalists, the winning author receives 150,000 NIS (about 39,000 USD), and the other four authors each receive 40,000 NIS. In 2019, a new award was added for a first book. Up to three authors will receive 20,000 NIS each, with the top winner receiving 40,000 NIS.
Prize rules
The group of judges for the prize includes well-known writers and experts in literature. Their names are not made public until the prize winner is announced. Some judges are replaced each year.
The judges first choose five books published in the previous year as final candidates for the prize. These books are selected from a list provided by major publishing companies. After several weeks, one winner is chosen from these five books. The winner is announced publicly during Israel's Hebrew Book Week.
The five authors whose books are selected as finalists participate in a series of literary events with readers across Israel, supported by Israel's state lottery. In 2005, the state lottery held a competition where readers could guess the winner. The first 30 people who correctly guessed the winner received the five finalist books.
In 2003, the book Anihu by author Etgar Keret was removed from the competition because it did not meet the rule requiring all books to have at least 60,000 words. This rule was later removed.
In 2006, after many requests, the prize organizers decided to allow books published in the previous five years—translated into Hebrew from other languages—to compete. All authors must be Israeli citizens. This change was made to let Israeli writers who write in Russian, Arabic, English, and other languages participate. These authors can compete in the regular prize category or in a separate category for translated works, from which only one book is chosen.
Winners receive funding to have their work translated into Arabic and one other foreign language.
The prize ceremony is broadcast on television every year during Israel's Hebrew Book Week.
In 2015, the rules were changed so that only people who live in Israel are eligible to win the prize.
Criticism
The Sapir Prize has been criticized because it is often given to authors of popular books. Some of the country's most important writers choose not to enter the competition, including Meir Shalev, Aharon Appelfeld, A.B. Yehoshua, and Amos Oz. In 2014, for the first time, the prize was awarded to a writer (Reuven Namdar) who lived outside Israel. After this, it was decided that only writers living in Israel could be considered for the award. Some people disagree with this change, saying that limiting literature to local topics may harm the language and its creativity. Others argue that Israel has limited resources for literary funding, which should be used to support local writers instead of those living abroad.