Selection Committees

The uniqueness of this award is that the awardees are selected by their own peers in each of the ten ASEAN countries. In Thailand, the Selection Committee members are nominated by the PEN International Thailand-Centre which is under Royal Patronage as well as by the Writers’ Association of Thailand. There are 2 committees involved with the S.E.A. Write Awards as follows:

The Selection Committee is made up of seven members comprising three representatives from the PEN International Thailand-Centre, three representatives from the Writers' Association of Thailand, and one designated literary figure. The committee members then vote amongst themselves who will be the Chairperson. The Selection Committee has the responsibility of accepting entries and then short-listing them to seven to ten literary works which subsequently will be proposed to the Board of Juries for final judging.

The Board of Juries is also made up of seven members comprising the Chairperson of PEN International Thailand-Centre or a representative, the Chairperson of the Writers' Association of Thailand or a representative, one prominent literature specialist, three literary figures and the Chairperson of the Selection Committee (by position). The members of the Board of Juries may not sit on the Selection Committee except for the Chairperson of the Selection Committee who can sit on both committees. Furthermore, committee members may not receive any benefits connected with the work selected as the winner. The Board of Juries is responsible for selecting as the winner one of the seven works proposed by the Selection Committee.