I. General Provisions
- The Zbigniew Herbert International Literary Award (hereafter “Herbert Award”) is conferred in the area of poetry, and in second place, in the area of essay writing, translation and editing.
- The aim of the Herbert Award is to honour artistic and intellectual achievements that have an impact on the world of values towards which Zbigniew Herbert’s work gravitated.
- The Herbert Award is given to a living author for that author’s whole body of work.
- The Award is constituted by the Zbigniew Herbert Foundation (hereafter “ZHF”), established by Zbigniew Herbert’s wife, Katarzyna Dzieduszycka-Herbert.
- The Herbert Award is given annually. The first Award will be conferred in 2013.
- The decision regarding the categories, besides poetry, in which the Herbert Award will be granted in a given year, will be taken by the ZHF Board by means of a resolution.
- The Herbert Award consists of:
– the “Herbert’s Signature” statuette;
– a sum of money declared during the Jury’s announcement of the chosen Laureate. - The ZHF is charged with all the formal and organizational issues associated with granting The Herbert Award.
II. Nominating The Herbert Award Laureate
- The nomination and selection of the Herbert Award Laureate in each area is carried out by a Jury.
- The process of choosing a Laureate in each area will run as follows:
- by May 30, the ZHF Board will vote on a resolution determining whether the Herbert Award will be granted in the following year, and in which areas the Award will be granted;
- by September 30, the composition of the Jury will be made public. In case of need the ZHF Board will choose additional Jury member before this deadline;
- dby October 30, each Jury Member will have sent the Jury Secretary their nomination, their proposed candidate, including a biographical note and evaluation of his or her work;
- by November 30, the Jury Secretary will have forwarded copies of the nominations to all Members of the Jury;
- in March, the Jury will gather in Warsaw to discuss the proposed candidates and select a Laureate;
- the Chairperson of the Jury will inform the public of the chosen Laureate; on the same day the decision is made, though not later than on the following day;
- the presentation of the Herbert Award will take place in Warsaw in late May or early June.
III. The Jury
- The Herbert Award Jury consists of 5 to 7 persons.
- The Jury’s membership is international, with one Jury Member representing Poland.
- The ZHF Board proposes Jury Membership to possible candidates, and when a candidate agrees to serve as a Jury Member, the Board appoints him or her to the Jury for a three year term.
- After serving on the Jury, a Member may be reappointed for a new term, after an interval of at least 3 years, that is of one full term.
- If a Jury Member resigns, or is incapable of performing his or her function, the ZHF Board will appoint a replacement Jury Member. Such a replacement Jury Member may perform the function for one year or for a full term.
- The Jury chooses a Chairman during the first session of a new term; the vote is secret and, apart from the outcome, remains confidential indefinitely.
- The ZHF Board appoints a Secretary for a three-year term.
- The Secretary of the Jury may be called upon to serve for an infinite number of terms.
- The Secretary of the Jury may, on the basis of an existing employment agreement with the Foundation, choose an employment relationship based on nomination, or another similar form of employment contract.
- The responsibilities of the Secretary of the Jury include:
- organizing the Jury’s work;
- collaborating closely with Jury Members at every stage of their work;
- ensuring an unhindered free flow of information between Jury members, as well as maintaining a close contact with all Jury members in order to guarantee the smooth running of the Herbert Award process;
- keeping Jury Members fully informed about all deadlines, as well as about all other matters crucial to a Jury Member’s performance;
- overseeing that all Jury actions and proceedings are carried out in accordance with national laws and these Rules & Regulations;
- keeping minutes of the Jury’s deliberations;
- undertaking any other task associated with the Jury’s work;
- maintaining the strictest confidentiality of all information related to discussions, the exchange of information between Jury Members, and the process of selecting the Herbert Award Laureate, indefinitely;
- conveying the minutes and other documentation of the Jury’s deliberations to the ZHF Management, this is responsible for ensuring their safe-keeping.
- In the event of any malpractices, negligence or the divulging of unauthorized information, in contravention of these Rules & Regulations, The FZH Board may dismiss a Jury Member or Jury Secretary without notice. In the event that a Jury Member or Jury Secretary divulges any confidential information, all remaining members are strictly forbidden to discuss, confirm or deny, or in any other way comment upon such disclosures.
- The Secretary of the Jury participates in the Jury’s deliberations, but does not take part in discussions or in the selection of the Herbert Award Laureate.
IV. Selecting The Herbert Award Laureate
- Each Jury Member may nominate only one candidate. No member may nominate himself.
- Current Members of the Board and employees of the ZHF may not be nominated for the Herbert Award.
- More than one Jury Member may nominate the same candidate.
- JIf the ZHF Board decides to confer the Herbert Award in categories other than poetry, one person may be nominated in more than one area, but a person may be a Laureate in a given area only once.
- A nominee who is not selected as a Herbert Award Laureate in a given category may be nominated for the Award in subsequent years.
- The list of nominees is not made public either during the Herbert Award selection process, or after a Laureate has been announced.
- The selection of a Herbert Award Laureate is preceded by a discussion among Jury Members that must lead to the selection of a Laureate.
- The discussion and vote are not public and remain secret indefinitely.
- After the discussion the Chairman of the Jury orders a vote. If the vote does not yield a result, in the form of a nominee having gained a simple majority of votes, the vote is repeated until a selection has been made.
- If the Jury consists of an even number of jurors, and in the event of a tie, the Chairman of the Jury shall have the casting vote.
- When the vote is held, no Jury Member may abstain from voting.
- The Jury decides by a majority whether their vote for the Laureate is to be public or secret.
- Each Jury Member has the right to submit a motion for a secret vote. In such cases the Secretary of the Jury will collect the votes and count them with the Chairman of the Jury.
- The discussion and votes are recorded in minutes but not preserved on an audio or video carrier. The Chairman and Secretary of the Jury sign the original minutes.
- After the outcome of the vote is determined, the Chairman, aided by the Secretary, prepares a protocol announcing the results of the vote for the Herbert Award Laureate, which is to be read in public at a given time and in a given place. Until such time Jury Members and the Secretary are obliged to keep the name of the Laureate strictly secret.
- Granting of The Herbert Award is conditional on the chosen Laureate attending the presentation ceremony in Warsaw.
- The organizer covers the travel and accommodation costs of jurors taking part in the selection of a Laureate.
- Matters not covered by these Rule & Regulations will be dealt with by Jury Members, who will settle such matters, in accordance with their own convictions, with due regard to the aims of the Herbert Award and the need to maintain the Award’s prestige.
V. The Herbert Award Presentation Ceremony
- The Herbert Award will be presented to the Laureate in Warsaw during a Presentation Ceremony at an appropriate venue.
- The Laureate, the Chairman of the Jury and invited guests will participate in the Presentation Ceremony.
- All Members of the Jury will be invited to participate in the Presentation Ceremony and thereby add to the event’s prestige.
- The organizer will cover the travel and accommodation expenses incurred by the Laureate, and an accompanying guest, to attend the Award Presentation Ceremony.
- The Herbert Award Presentation Ceremony envisions:
- a eulogy by the Jury Chairman, in honour of the Herbert Award Laureate;
- the presentation of the Herbert Award to the Laureate by Katarzyna Herbert;
- an address by the Laureate;
- an artistic event related to Zbigniew Herbert’s and the Laureate’s work.