MINISTRY OF CULTURE AND MEDIA

Department of Contemporary Artistic Production and Creative Industries

announces this
OPEN CALL
for the Co-Financing of Projects for the Translation of Representative Works of Serbian Literature into Foreign Languages in 2021

The scope of this Open Call is co-financing of projects for the translation of representative works of Serbian literature into foreign languages

The overarching goal of this Open Call is the translation of representative works of Serbian literature into foreign languages.

Submissions in the following literary fields are eligible under this Open Call for the translation of representative works of Serbian literature into foreign languages: poetry, prose, drama, children’s literature (other than picture books and textbooks), anthologies and thematic selections and theoretical works in the fields of culture and arts intended for the wider readership.

Translations of classic works of Serbian literature and works acclaimed by the expert community will be given priority for support.

The minimum amount to be financed and co-financed per project is RSD 100.000,00.

Applicants submitting to the Open Call for the translation of representative works of Serbian literature into foreign languages must provide the following documents:

An extract from a relevant register or a company registration certificate which shows that the applicant is registered exclusively or predominantly for publishing.
An extract from a court or other register showing that the foreign publisher has not been barred from publishing by a valid and enforceable order in the two years preceding the date of announcement of this Open Call.
A signed or initialled copyright contract with the Serbian author (or the author’s heir) or a licensed publisher whose work the applicant wishes to translate.
A signed or initialled contract with the translator of the work concerned.
An up-to-date portfolio including minimum four literary works (a portfolio for 2019/20 or 2020/2021 is considered up-to-date).
The translator’s CV or a reference list of translated works.
The book that would be translated (a physical copy of the book with indicated title, author’s name, publisher etc.). A Serbian publisher or the book’s author can provide a copy of the book to meet this requirement.
The applicant’s statement of reasons why the specific title was chosen and a description of its plan to promote the translated title in territories outside of the Republic of Serbia.
Applicant’s Information Form (ENCLOSURE O2), duly filled out.
Submission Form (ENCLOSURE O1), duly filled out.
If the applicant is established outside of the Republic of Serbia, it must provide payment instructions for a foreign exchange account held with a commercial bank, with clearly stated SWIFT and IBAN codes.
The Submission Form and other documents relating to it must be provided in Serbian or in English.

Out of the funds allocated for this purpose in the budget of the Ministry of Culture and Information, 70% is tentatively earmarked for support to foreign publishers, while 30% is earmarked for Serbian publishers. The financial support will be provided only for the translation of the works and will not cover the costs of printing, distribution or print preparation.

To receive financial support, a foreign publisher must first provide the Ministry of Culture with six (6) copies of the translated book.

Applicants must submit completed and signed O1 and O2 forms, together with the required documents for this Open Call, as specified in the Formal Requirements section.The relevant forms are available on the website of the Ministry of Culture and Information (www.kultura.gov.rs).

Each copy of the book translated with the financial support of the Ministry of Culture and Information of the Republic of Serbia must contain a clear acknowledgement of that support. The Ministry’s logo and the text of such acknowledgement will be sent by e-mail to the publisher’s address.

Selection of projects pursuant to this Open Call will be made by an expert committee formed by the Ministry of Culture and Information. The expert committee will base its decisions on the frequency and literary justifiability of support awarded to the works of contemporary authors in previous open calls.

The criteria for the selection of projects financed and co-financed from the budget of the Republic of Serbia are set out in Article 5 of the Regulations on the Manner, Criteria and Standards for the Selection of Cultural Projects Financed and Co-Financed from the Budget of the Republic of Serbia (available at: www.kultura.gov.rs/propisi/propisiukulturi ). Projects financed or co-financed from the budget of the Republic of Serbia must meet at least three of the criteria listed therein.

Technical criteria for the selection of cultural projects that would be financed or co-financed from the budget of the Republic of Serbia are as follows:

1) Compliance with the formal requirements of the Open Call: complete documentation with a description of the project and detailed information and with a clear specification of the time and venue of the project;

2) Provision of a detailed specification of project costs, with a breakdown of all sources of funding that would be used;

3) The contractor must have fulfilled its obligations to the Ministry under earlier supported projects (Narrative and Financial Implementation Report submitted).

The following will not be taken into consideration:

1) One-off projects that have already received support under earlier open calls by the Ministry;

2) Projects of a clearly commercial nature.

The following are eligible to submit to this Open Call: institutions, arts and other associations and organisations/legal entities established in or outside of the Republic of Serbia and professional foreign publishers registered exclusively or predominantly for publishing and established outside of the Republic of Serbia.

Cultural institutions founded by the Republic of Serbia which are financed under Article 74 of the Law on Culture are not eligible to submitto this Open Call.

To be taken into consideration, submissions must meet the following requirements:

They must be sent exclusively by mail (mailing address: Ministry of Culture and Information, Vlajkovićeva 3, Belgrade; the envelope must bear the wording “Open Call for the Co-Financing of Projects for the Translation of Representative Works of Serbian Literature into Foreign Languages in 2021”);
They must be made in 4 counterparts using the Submission Form for the Open Call for the Co-Financing of Projects of Translation of Representative Works of Serbian Literature into Foreign Languages in 2021 (hereinafter referred to as the “Submission Form”);
If one applicant wishes to submit multiple projects, a separate submission must be made for each project.
The Submission Form for projects for the translation of representative works of Serbian literature into foreign languages is available on the official website of the Ministry, at www.kultura.gov.rs.

This Open Call is valid from  19h of January to 9th of March 2021.

The submission materials will not be returned.

The results of this Open Call will be posted on the official website of the Ministry of Culture and Information, not later than 60 days of the closing date of the Open Call. The Ministry of Culture and Informationwill inform all applicants and the wider public about the outcome of this Open Call in this way.

Publishers must publish the works for which they received financial support by 1st of  December 2021.

Any additional information is available from the Ministry of Culture and Information every business day from 1 PM to 3:30 PM: - By phone, at +381 11 3398-026, or by e-mail, at mladen.veskovic@kultura.gov.rs – Project of Translation of Representative Works of Serbian Literature into Foreign Languages;

The committee will not take into consideration any incomplete submissions (the documentation must be complete and the Submission Form must be filled out in its entirety).  

Any submissions received after the specified date will be rejected.