"Presence" Non-fiction Writing Scholarship Season 2 Registration Opens｜On the scene of the times, writing as action

Registration for the second season of the "Presence" Nonfiction Writing Scholarship is now open.

Faced with the increasingly intensified opposition, vanity, and grand narratives, in the practice of the first season, we have made it clearer that "presence" means returning to concreteness and reality. This is not just physical proximity and presence, but refers to the author's choice of topic. Having worked hard for a long time, and even being able to capture the "shape of the air" (Quotes from Season 1 winner @赵云), is a deep inner motivation for the story being told, a "strong emotion" (Season 1 Winner @zhouyufeiyu ) .

When more and more big problems are approaching, what is the point of us withdrawing our gaze and focusing firmly on the specific and subtle people, things and things around us?

Zhuang Ruilin, one of the judges and editor-in-chief of Spring Mountain Publishing House, called such non-fiction writing "the second narrative of a society": "The richness of the second narrative, to me, is the important foundation of a democratic society. By starting with very small things, people and communities, we have the ability to move beyond politics."

From the real and nuanced writing of the award-winning works of the first season, we saw the complex and intertwined scenes, smelled the air, and felt a concrete vibration and new understanding. When finishing the manuscript, Teacher Dai Bofen explained the significance of nearly half a year of on-site writing to her: "This is not the end of a personal life narrative, but the beginning of a new social action."

The second season of the "Presence" Scholarship is open to Chinese writers from all over the world, soliciting non-fiction writing projects, and inviting more independent writers to take writing as action in the context of the times.

[What kind of support will the "Presence" scholarship provide to writers? 】

• 1. Prize money: US$7,000 for first place, US$5,000 for second place, US$2,000 for third place

The "Presence" Scholarship collects writing projects every 4-6 months, and five selected candidates are selected each time and receive a bonus of US$2,000-US$7,000 to complete short-term works lasting three months.

• 2. Editing assistance

The winners will be assisted by professional editors throughout the process until the work is published. The works selected for this season need to be completed before November 30, 2022.

• 3. Help authors continue to develop their works

The "Presence" scholarship will link all selected works to subsequent publishing platforms. For some writing projects that are not selected but have potential, the on-site scholarship will be recommended to influential Chinese media platforms.

The five selected works of the first season were published in reporters, critical comments, Xiaoniao Literature, End Media and other media:

The last female miner - Zhang Gui’s life story (published in cooperation with the reporter )

The Tamed and the Tamed: Breeding Tibetan Mastiffs in Lhasa (published in cooperation with Little Bird Literature )

Their AI Lovers - Real or Illusive Love (Published in cooperation with Critical Comment Network )

After the smoke clears: On the road from Beirut to Damascus (published in cooperation with the reporter )

Walking in the Unknown: Links from MIRROR Fans (Full text version will be published in End Media in the near future)

【Who can participate? 】

1. As long as you write in Chinese, you can participate regardless of your nationality or region.
2. This scholarship is a call for writing projects. Applicants need to submit a writing proposal and a trial draft. The work may not have been started yet, or has been started, but has not yet been completed. However, works that have been published on any public platform do not fall into this category.
3. The writing project must not have received any scholarships or resource contributions from other organizations. Including but not limited to: works that have participated in other competitions and won awards, have received creative subsidies from other organizations, and have been employed by media organizations as full-time positions. If there is any violation, the organizer will have the right to disqualify the winner and recover the prize money.

[How is the "Presence" Scholarship selected? 】

The "Presence" scholarship has invited 32 senior non-fiction writers, important publishers and media people in the Chinese-speaking region to form a professional jury. They will select 5 people based on the subject matter direction, innovation, feasibility and other aspects of the writing project. finalists.

The final 1st, 2nd and 3rd prizes will be selected by the judges based on the finalists’ published works.

These 32 judges are (sorted by last name/first letter of the alphabet)

-Nonfiction writer-

• A Po writer, author of "The Boundary of Melancholy", "The Intervening Bystander", etc.
• Chen Chun is a young scholar of political philosophy and the author of "The Rebirth of Liberalism and Political Virtue"
• Du Jinxuan is the Southeast Asia editor of "Key Comment Network" and the author of "The Original Sin of Blood: The Forgotten Victims of White Terror in Southeast Asia"
• Gu Yuling is a human rights activist and writer. She is the author of "Going Home" and "We: Chronicles of a Life of Mobility and Labor", etc.
• Jiang Xue is an independent writer and former investigative reporter for Caixin.
• Li Yumeng is an independent journalist and former reporter for Apple Daily.
• Li Zhexin, documentary director, "Trek"
• Liu Shaohua is an anthropologist and researcher at the Institute of Ethnology, Academia Sinica. He is the author of "My Liangshan Brothers", "Leprosy Doctors and the Great Transformation of China", etc.
• Mimiana is an independent writer and women's rights activist.
• Qin Liwen is a writer, independent writer, founder and host of the podcast "Planet Seahorse"
• Su Meizhi is an independent journalist and former senior editor of Ming Pao Weekly. She is the author of "Foreign Domestic Helpers: Strangers Living at Home", etc.
• Tan Huiyun is an independent journalist and a senior lecturer at the School of Journalism and Communication at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. She is the author of "The Darker the Sky, the Brighter the Stars" etc.
• Yang Tianshuai, standpoint journalist and novelist
• Zou Sicong is an independent writer, literary apprentice, European politics and cultural studies (ongoing)

- Publishing industry -

• Fu Cha Eight Banners Culture Editor-in-Chief
• Sun Deling, editor-in-chief of Left Bank Culture
• Tu Fengen, editor-in-chief of Lianjing Publishing, founder of "Story"
• Zhang Huijing, editor-in-chief of Aicheng Publishing, writer
• Yan Yun : poet, defector translator, senior reader, author of "Daylight and Night Scene", etc.

- Media Editor/Agency -

• Fang Kecheng is an assistant professor at the School of Journalism and Communication at the Chinese University of Hong Kong and the founder of "News Lab"
• Guan Zhenhai, founder of independent media "Zhi"
• Guan Tianlin , poet, editor-in-chief of Zihua magazine
• He Xinjie is an independent writer and former Taiwan editor-in-chief of "End Media"
• Li Yuehua, Editor-in-Chief of "Zhongxun"
• Liu Zhixin is the deputy editor-in-chief of "The Reporter" and the author of "Truth Manufacturing"
• Reporter Liang Yufang , Director of the "Vision Project" Foundation of United Daily News
• Reporter Luo Shuyi , former editor of Cable News
• Ning Hui , senior reporter, editor-in-chief of the international team of "End Media"
• Breakazine , a quarterly magazine on Hong Kong social topics
• Wang Jinhua, deputy editor-in-chief of the People Group of Mirror Weekly
• Wen Ruohan Chief Editor of BIOS monthly

The 5 finalists will be announced on August 15, 2022.

[How to sign up for the "Presence" Scholarship? 】

1. Prepare a writing plan

Applicants are required to prepare a writing proposal. The writing plan must include the following 5 questions, and the total number of words should not exceed 2,500 words. :

• What topics do you plan to write about?
• Why write about this topic? (Why is this topic important? What is its relationship to the author? What is its relationship to the reader?)
• How do you implement your plan? Please attach a four-month creative time plan (what interviews, research, and on-site visits will be done? From what angle will it be approached? How many manuscripts and how many pages are expected to be completed?)
• How much financial support does your creation require? In order to complete your creation, what resources do you currently lack most?
• Why do you need a presence scholarship?

2. Prepare a trial draft

Please submit part of the text manuscript that is part of the creative plan. Please limit the word count to 800-1500 words. This manuscript is intended to allow the judges to have a clearer understanding of your writing style, judgment and ability to complete the manuscript. Please provide a manuscript that you think can reflect the significance of your topic and your non-fiction writing skills.

3. Fill in the registration form

After preparing your writing plan and trial draft, please click here to submit the registration form, plan, and trial draft to complete your registration.

The deadline for registration for this scholarship is: 23:59 on July 11, 2022 (East Eighth District time).

In the past three years, Matters has witnessed the continuous emergence of "presence writing" and is deeply aware of the difficulty of such recording. The "Presence" non-fiction scholarship will be held every 4-6 months, hoping to continue to provide professional and resource support to record keepers who insist on being at the forefront of the times.

The "Presence" scholarship starts today, and we look forward to your work!