The press conference of the 2nd Sanmao Prose Prize in Dinghai district, Zhoushan, East China’s Zhejiang province [Photo/zhoushan.cn]

The finalists have recently been announced for the 2nd Sanmao Prose Prize, a literary award in Dinghai district, Zhoushan, East China's Zhejiang province. 

Altogether 26 prose anthologies and 26 essays have made it into the final, which will see a half of them being given honors in February. 

The Sanmao Prose Prize, co-hosted by the Zhejiang Writers' Association and the Dinghai authorities, is named after the contemporary Chinese writer Sanmao, or Echo Chan, whose ancestral home is in Dinghai district. It is currently one of the top literary awards in Zhejiang province and has gained recognition worldwide.

This year's award has seen the participation of 643 Chinese writers, including those from over 20 Chinese provinces and municipalities, and from overseas countries such as the United States, Philippines, Malaysia, Japan, Singapore and Canada. 

There were both prestigious writers and young emerging literary stars among the candidates that have made the final, whose articles selected by the award represent this year's most extraordinary Chinese prose in general. 

Local authorities in Dinghai are currently preparing for a series of cultural activities related to the award and the writer Sanmao, to further promote the culture of Zhoushan via the platform of the award.