The Zeenat Haroon Rashid (ZHR) Writing Prize for Women, now in its third year, is accepting submissions for the 2021 competition in the category of short fiction.

The theme of the contest, as has been for the past two years, is women and Pakistan. The final date for submission is June 30, 2021.

The annual prize was established in 2019 in the memory of Zeenat Haroon Rashid, a founding member of the Women’s National Guard and Muslim League activist during the Freedom Movement.

Each year, the prize alternates between fiction and non-fiction. Last year’s winner was Raniya Hussain, for her non-fiction essay ‘Portrait of a Woman in Pain’.

The contest is open to women aged 18 and above, of Pakistani nationality or Pakistani heritage, and the winner will receive a cash prize of Rs 100,000. All longlisted submissions will also be available to read on the ZHR Writing Prize website.

Evaluating the entries will be a stellar panel of judges, including award-winning authors Kamila Shamsie and Hanif Kureishi, associate professor of comparative literary and cultural studies Maryam Wasif Khan, publisher and writer Faiza S. Khan and book editor Shan Vahidy, who is also Zeenat Haroon Rashid’s granddaughter.

Entry details and competition rules are accessible on www.zhrwritingprize.com

Published in Dawn, Books & Authors, April 4th, 2021