[Seoul=Newsis] Reporter Jo Su-won = The grand prize for the 16th Young Writer’s Award has been awarded to Baek On-yoo’s novel “A Quarter of a Quarter.” On the 4th, the judging committee stated, “This work hides the tenacious irony of human affairs, where expectations suddenly turn into resentment, and doubt sometimes becomes trust.”
Baek On-yoo, who began her literary career in 2017 with the novel “Jung-kyo,” has published novels such as “You Won,” “Peppermint,” and “A World Without Cases.”
The winners of the Young Writer’s Award include seven works, including the grand prize winner: “Bauer’s Garden” (Kang Bo-ra), “Little Pride” (Seo Jang-won), “Guilty Club: Touching a Tiger” (Sung Hae-na), “Wonkyung” (Sung Hye-ryung), “Child of Favorite” (Lee Hee-joo), and “~~Waves~Body~Floating~Soul~~” (Hyun Ho-jung).
Munhakdongne explained, “While the Young Writer’s Award selects only one work for the grand prize, all seven works are considered winners as part of an effort to highlight and encourage young writers, and thus, the term ‘excellence award’ is not used.”
Each of the seven winners will receive a prize of 7 million won and a trophy. If the royalties (10%) from the award-winning book published as a standalone volume exceed the prize amount, the excess royalties will be distributed equally.
The jury reviews, acceptance speeches, and interviews with the grand prize winner will be featured in the spring edition of the quarterly “Munhakdongne.” The standalone volume of the winning works is scheduled to be published in April.