The H.A.I.G Prize 2024 - Members of the Jury

Dr Krishantha Fedricks - Chair

Dr. Krishantha Fedricks is a Senior Lecturer in Sinhala and Linguistics in the Department of Sinhala at the University of Colombo. He graduated from the same department with a BA (Honors) in Sinhala and earned an MA in Linguistics from California State University, Long Beach, USA. He holds a PhD in Linguistic Anthropology from the University of Texas at Austin, and his research focuses on the intersection of language, culture, and media. He has extensive experience teaching linguistics, literary theory, and cultural anthropology across multiple institutions.

Shash Trevett

Shash Trevett is a poet, critic and a translator of Tamil poetry into English. Born in Sri Lanka, she now lives in the U.K. Her poetry has been widely published in journals and anthologies (including POETRY, Poetry London, Modern Poetry in Translation, The Harvard Review and The North), she has read variously across the U.K and internationally and is a winner of a Northern Writers’ Award. Out of Sri Lanka: Tamil, Sinhala and English Poetry from Sri Lanka and its Diasporas (Bloodaxe 2023, Penguin India 2023) which she co-edited with Vidyan Ravinthiran and Seni Seneviratne, was one of the Times Literary Supplement’s Books of the Year for 2023. Her last book, The Naming of Names, was published by Smith|Doorstop in September 2024 and her translations are studied as part of the Cambridge IGCSE, Cambridge International O Level and Cambridge International AS & A Level English syllabus. An experienced workshop leader, Shash has presented at academic conferences both in the U.K and abroad, has been involved with the Singapore Translation Symposium, the PEN Translates, and the PEN Presents awards, the Commonwealth Short Story Prize, and has been a mentor for both New Writing North and the National Centre for Writing in the U.K. She is a Ledbury Critic and a Board Member of Modern Poetry in Translation.

Dileepa Abeysekera

Dileepa Abeysekera is a creative professional and literary translator whose work bridges the worlds of advertising and literature. Born and raised in Sri Lanka, he attended Ananda College and Asoka Vidyalaya in Colombo before pursuing higher education at Webster University in Geneva, Switzerland. These diverse experiences shaped his ability to see the world through multiple lenses, a skill that has defined both his career and his passions.
As an Advertising Creative Director, Dileepa has spent years crafting compelling narratives and connecting with audiences on a profound level. But beyond the world of advertising, he has another calling: bringing great stories to life in Sinhala. His translations are not just linguistic exercises; they are heartfelt reimaginings that capture the spirit of the original works while making them resonate deeply with readers.
He is best known for his Sinhala adaptations of Shehan Karunatilaka’s celebrated novels, *The Chinaman* (2015) and *The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida* (2023). These works are a testament to his dedication to bridging cultures and his belief in the power of stories to transcend borders.
Dileepa’s work is a quiet yet powerful force, reminding us that stories, when told with care and respect, can connect us all.