The Yan Kit So Memorial Award 2007

for Food Writers on Asia

 

The Yan Kit So Memorial Award is a bursary set up to assist first-time cookery writers by providing support for travel and research expenses during the time in which a book proposal is being written and before a publishing contract has been awarded. A maximum grant of £2,500 will be awarded to the writer whose work will contribute to significant understanding of Asian culture through outstanding and well-researched writing about Asian food.


HOW TO APPLY
Full details and an application form can be obtained by emailing enquiries@asiahouse.co.uk or calling +44 (0)20 7307 5454. All applications must be submitted by 30 June 2007 and the chosen recipient will notified by the end of October 2007.


KEY TERMS OF GRANT
The Bursary award will vary according to the applicant’s proposal and expense budget. The maximum amount granted will be £2,500. Applications will be evaluated by David Thompson, top chef of Michelin-starred restaurant Nahm, and winner of the influential Glenfiddich Food Book Award; Lyn Hall, founder of the renowned La Petite Cuisine School of Cooking; and Lady Mei Ling Harris, co-chair of Asia House Cultural Patrons.


TERMS OF ELIGIBILITY
Applicants must not have previously published a cookery book. Their proposals should demonstrate significant contributions to the knowledge of Asian food. Asia is geographically defined by Asia House’s remit, from Iran to Japan and from the Central Asian Republics to Indonesia. Applicants must be normally resident in the United Kingdom.


ABOUT YAN KIT SO
Yan Kit So (1933-2001) was Britain’s leading authority on Chinese food, renowned for her comprehensive knowledge of the history of food in Asia and for her accessible and inspirational publications on Chinese cuisine. A tireless promoter of food and its relation to culture, her first book, The Classic Chinese Cookbook, won the Glenfiddich Best Book of the Year award in 1984, the first time a Chinese cookbook had ever won a major food award. In the same year, Yan Kit also won the prestigious Andre Simon Award.