CDN Prize

The C. D. Narasimhaiah Prize was instituted in 2006 by the Indian Association for Commonwealth Literature and Language Studies (IACLALS) in memory of the founding Chairperson, Professor C. D. Narasimhaiah, who headed the Association from 1974 to 1993.

Professor Narasimhaiah taught English at Maharaja College, Mysore and later served as its Principal. He was a Fulbright Visiting Professor at Yale University, and Visiting Professor at the University of Queensland. He was also a resident scholar at the International Research Centre, Bellagio. Deeply invested in promoting Indian art and culture, he co-founded the Dhvanyaloka Centre for Indian Studies.

His contributions were recognised through several literary and civilian honours, including the Rajyotsava Prashasti (Government of Karnataka, 1987) and the Padma Bhushan (Government of India, 1990) for his services to literature.

• Shortlisting: Full papers submitted in advance are coded and sent for blind review to two experts.
• Presentation: Shortlisted papers are presented orally in a dedicated CDN Prize session at the Annual Conference (approx. 20 minutes), followed by a Q & A.
• Final Selection: Scores from both written submission and oral presentation are combined to determine the winner.

Contestants should ensure the following:

• a) A clear introduction that states the central thesis or argument.
• b) Logical development with evidence, analysis and persuasive reasoning.
• c) Originality and fresh perspectives on the chosen theme or texts.
• d) A well-rounded, meaningful conclusion.
• e) Lucid, concise and grammatically correct language.
• f) Proper and consistent citation style (in-text, footnotes, works cited).
• g) A relevant, imaginative, and original title.

Additional Notes

• All abstracts, including CDN Prize submissions, share the same last submission date as given in the conference CFP.
• Joint authorship is not allowed for CDN Prize submissions.
• The minimum word limit for full papers is 3000 words (excluding references); there is no upper limit.
• Papers must follow a consistent stylesheet; please mention it at the end as: Stylesheet used: XYZ.