By Chao Ching-Hwa

Translated by Melanie A. Leng

The Taiwan Literature Award for Migrants, currently the only literary award in Taiwan focused on migrant workers, has entered its ninth year. The National Museum of Taiwan Literature (NMTL) has long been committed to the promotion of Taiwan literature and the fulfillment of its social responsibility as a museum. This year, much time and effort has been devoted to co-organize this meaningful event once again.

As of December 2023, there were approximately 750,000 migrant workers in Taiwan, undertaking heavy work such as caregiving, construction, manufacturing, and more. They have become an indispensable pillar of modern Taiwan society. Therefore, literary works produced by migrant workers should be valued similarly by the public.

The Taiwan Literature Award for Migrants is organized by publishing house Monomyth in an effort to encourage migrant workers from Vietnam, Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines, Myanmar, and other countries to use their native language and express their emotions on leaving their hometown, working in a foreign land, missing their family, and pursuing their dreams. This year, for the first time, the awards have been opened to overseas migrant workers, new immigrants, and second-generation immigrants.

In 2023, NMTL and Monomyth co-published the award-winning works of the 8^th Taiwan Literature Award for Migrants as an anthology entitled Grass: There is a Time to Wither and Spring, and a Time to Sprout Again. The new book launch and a lecture was held at the Taiwan Literature Base on January 14^th this year. This book is organized in a bilingual format, with the author’s work in their native language placed alongside a Mandarin translation. It also includes reviews from the final round of selection and various young people. Centered on the theme of grass, the book is creatively divided into chapters based on four plants: silvergrass, rush, the day-lily, and the flat-stem clubrush, whose imagery showcases the resilience of migrant workers and their diverse life journeys.

The submission period for the 9^th Taiwan Literature Award for Migrants is open from May 5^th to June 5^th. In addition to publishing the award-winning works, NMTL also plans to hold a seminar to promote migrant literature. We sincerely invite everyone concerned about the issues of migrant workers to participate, and through their sincere words, to hear their voices.