For readers
For Readers
We invite you to join us as a reader for our inaugural cycle. You’ll review one to three entries, roughly 60–90 minutes total.
Volunteer as a reader(opens a Google Form in a new tab)
The award
The National Undergraduate Literary Translation Award recognizes literary translation into English by undergraduates enrolled at institutions in the United States. Entry is free, open to students in any discipline, and limited to 1,000 words per entry.
There are two awards: the NULTA Prose Award and the NULTA Poetry Award. Entrants choose which one their translation belongs to. Prize money is divided equally between the two awards, and readers may be assigned entries from either award.
The award is independently organized by a team of Brown University undergraduates. It is not sponsored by or endorsed by any college or university.
What we are asking for
1–3 entries, each up to 1,000 words. Judging would take 60–90 minutes total, scheduled at your convenience within the January–April 2027 reading period.
We would greatly appreciate your help in keeping this competition fair and running smoothly.
How scoring works
Each entry is read and scored by one judge. If two shortlisted entries in the same award finish on the same score, a second reader who has not seen either reads both and breaks the tie.
Judgement about a creative work is hard to evaluate with a standard rubric. You will be sent guidance on what we believe makes a good translation, but this is only advice and not a scoring sheet. We ask that each judge provides a mark along with a short (about 100 word) paragraph explaining it. Additionally, judges should flag any exceptional translation they believe should go through to the shortlist.
Who is eligible to serve
We are looking for professional translators and university faculty involved in translation. Translators from any organization (whether university-affiliated or not) are welcome to judge for us. A translator with no university position is exactly as welcome as a professor.
We are not able to take graduate students or language instructors as judges this cycle. If that is you and you would still like to be involved, please write to us — we would be happy to have you help in other ways.
Languages
Entries are accepted from 9 source languages. Readers are needed across each of them. If you would like to read for us in another language, please say so in the reader form(opens a Google Form in a new tab).
- Arabic (Classical)
- Arabic (Modern Standard)
- Chinese (Mandarin)
- French
- German
- Hebrew
- Italian
- Russian
- Spanish
How evaluation works
- Assignment. Shortly after the January 10, 2027 deadline, administrators begin reviewing entries for academic integrity, removing identifying information, and assigning them to judges.
- Anonymous reading. You receive entries in your language with no information about the translator, their institution, or their year.
- Evaluation. You return an assessment between January–April 2027.
- Shortlist interviews. Top-scoring translators are invited to an informal interview about their translation decisions, to help an additional judge and administrators determine winners.
- Results. The shortlist is contacted on April 20, 2027; winners are notified May 25, 2027, and the online ceremony is on June 1, 2027.
Academic integrity
Integrity review is an administrative responsibility, not one we pass to readers. If a question arises, an organizer contacts the entrant and gives them a chance to respond before any decision is taken.
If something in an entry concerns you as a reader, flag it to us and we will review the submission along with the translator.
Conflicts of interest
If you recognize an entry you’re reading, please tell us about it, so we can reassign that submission.
If you have advised any undergraduates who may be entering, please also let us know so we can avoid assigning them to you.
Confidentiality
Entries and source passages are provided solely for evaluation. Judges may not reproduce, distribute, publish, quote, upload, or otherwise repurpose the materials; access is revoked at the close of evaluation; and judges are asked to delete any locally retained copies.
These obligations are set out in full in the Rights and Permissions policy, which we ask you to review before judging.
Common questions
What are a judge’s obligations regarding submitted material? Entries and their source passages are provided solely for evaluation. You may not reproduce, distribute, publish, quote, upload, or otherwise repurpose them. Access is revoked at the close of evaluation, and we ask you to delete any locally retained copies. The full terms are in the Rights and Permissions policy.
Do I need to be at a particular kind of institution? No. Readers may come from any institution or organization, including academic institutions, translation associations, and cultural institutes. There is no requirement to hold a position in a translation or literature department.
What if I cannot finish in time? Tell us as early as you can and we will reassign the entries.
Volunteer
Volunteering takes about two minutes. We ask for your name, institution, position, and the languages you read.
Volunteer as a reader(opens a Google Form in a new tab)1–3 entries · 60–90 minutes total · January–April 2027
If you have any questions or comments and would like to speak with us first, write to us at info@nulta.org. See Contact page for more information.