Mao Dun Literature Prize (Chinese: 茅盾文学奖) is a prize for novels sponsored by the Chinese Writers Association. Awarded every four years, it is one of most prestigious literature prizes in China. It was first awarded in 1982.
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The prize was created by the will of Mao Dun, a prominent Chinese writer in the 20th century. The purpose was to encourage novel writing. Mao Dun himself personally donated 250,000 RMB to the prize committee .
According to selection rule, any work, authored by Chinese nationals, published in mainland China, and with over 130,000 characters, is eligible.
The selection committee in the Chinese Writers Association holds the voting poll twice, and the winner must receive over 2/3 of the votes cast. The process is highly selective, and each time the number of winners is between 3 to 5. The prize was initially awarded once every three years. Later, it changed to once every four years.
The awards has recently been criticized,[1] especially in the 8th session in 2011, as it was reveled that eight of the top 10 on the list were either the chair or vice-chairpersons of prominent provincial writers' associations.[1] According to an editorial in the China Daily, it said: :"Official status cannot and should not be a criterion for literary excellence. That's why people doubt the authenticity of prizes that are awarded to officials for their literary achievements."[1]