Blancpain-Imaginist Literary Prize 2025 Winner Announced

Young author Liao Jing garners first prize for her work Spring Will Never Fall

BEIJING, Nov. 12, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The award ceremony for the Eighth Blancpain-Imaginist Literary Prize was held in Beijing on November 1, 2025. Young author Liao Jing won the first prize for her work Spring Will Never Fall. During the event, Blancpain unveiled the 2025 limited-edition timepieces created for the Prize. The paired watches feature two iconic models from the Blancpain Villeret collection: the Villeret Quantième Complet 6654 and the Villeret Quantième Phases de Lune 6126. Their new "salmon"-colored dials blend the brilliance of gold with the warmth of brown, while the gold rotor is intricately engraved with a motif of a hand holding a quill, dipped in ink, ready to write. Through the art of fine watchmaking, this design pays tribute to the literary spirit, celebrating creativity that flourishes within time's endlessly forking paths.

The theme of the 2025 Prize, "Time Forever Forks", draws from Jorge Luis Borges's El jardín de senderos que se bifurcan (The Garden of Forking Paths), which describes time as a complex net of possibilities. In an age where digital platforms often homogenize human experience, literature's role is to document moments of "distraction", capture "forked times" in reality, and embrace life's complexity and richness. The judging panel—comprising Huang Ziping, Li Zishu, Lu Qingyi, Shi Zhanjun, and Sun Ganlu—engaged in rigorous discussion before selecting Liao Jing as the winner. Jack Liao, Member of the Swatch Group China Management Committee and Vice President of Blancpain China; Liu Ruilin, Founder of Imaginist and VISTOPIA; and jury representative Shi Zhanjun jointly presented the award. The Prize committee awarded Liao Jing a cash prize of 300,000 yuan (approx. US$42,129), provided by Blancpain, along with a classic timepiece from the Blancpain Villeret collection.

The five finalists, Li Lu, Liao Jing, Shao Dong, Zhang Yueran and Zi He, all received the Young Friend of Blancpain award and a finalist's certificate from Jack Liao and Liu Ruilin. The other four finalists each received a bonus of 20,000 yuan (approx. US$2,800, provided by Blancpain) to support their creative endeavors and inspire them to continue their literary work. Young Friend of Blancpain award symbolizes both Blancpain's appreciation and encouragement of young talent, as well as the young talents' alignment with Blancpain's brand values.

The Blancpain-Imaginist Literary Prize, co-founded by Blancpain and China's most influential cultural brand Imaginist, aims to create a literary accolade that is impartial, authoritative, professional and enduring while honoring the outstanding writers under 45 years old each year. The co-founders, Blancpain and the Imaginist, continue on their quest to convey a simple but meaningful message to the public: "Reading makes time more valuable".

When presenting the award, Shi Zhanjun commended, "In the interplay of light and dusk, Spring Will Never Fall weaves family, human relations, and social nuances into a coming-of-age narrative rich with emotion and layered storytelling. From individual circumstances to broader life philosophies, the novel offers a literary expression that is profound, resilient, and lucid—a testament to the depth and clarity of this generation's literary voice."

Liao Jing said, "I had not prepared an acceptance speech, and this award comes as a wonderful surprise. I wish to express my deep appreciation to the esteemed judges and to all my friends present for your presence and support. While this is not my first novel, it is the one I consider my first true long-form work—deeply connected to my life, my childhood, and my hometown. Having this work published was already a tremendous joy and victory. Receiving this honor today makes me incredibly happy and deeply honored."

In his address, Jack Liao said, "In its simplest form, 'time forks' reminds us that every decision we make opens a new path."

"In 1735, Jehan-Jacques Blancpain's decision to create the brand marked the dawn of the brand era in Swiss watchmaking. During the Quartz Crisis, Blancpain helped revive mechanical watchmaking by introducing the world's smallest complete calendar timepiece with moon phase. Over Blancpain's 290-year history, each choice has defined our legacy, contributing to what Swiss haute horlogerie is today."

"In 2018, Blancpain joined Imaginist to establish this literary prize. Over the past eight years, we have encountered many forks in the road. By staying true to our original vision—upholding professionalism, authority, and fairness—we have navigated uncertainties to make each edition of the Prize a success."

"No matter where life's paths may lead, all of us, Blancpain, Imaginist, and the Blancpain-Imaginist Literary Prize, will always find one another on the forking paths of time and literature."

Panelists of the Blancpain-Imaginist Literary Prize 2025

Huang Ziping, Professor Emeritus at Hong Kong Baptist University and former Professor at Peking University Department of Chinese Language and Literature. In 1985, in concert with Chen Pingyuan and Qian Liqun, he helped define the theoretical framework of 'Twentieth-Century Chinese Literature'. He has taught at Hong Kong Baptist University Department of Chinese Language and Literature for many years. His major publications include The Elf of the Pensive Old Tree, Narratives in the Chalked Circle, and Text and Its Discontents.

Li Zishu, Malaysian-Chinese writer. Her works include the novels The Age of Goodbyes and Worldly Land, the collection of short stories Ye Pusa, flash fiction collection Yu Sheng (The Rest of Life), and the essay collection Zan Ting Jian (Pause Button).

Lu Qingyi, director, photographer, and editor. His representative work Four Springs won Best Documentary at the 12^th FIRST International Film Festival in 2018 and was nominated for Best Documentary and Best Editing at the 55^th Golden Horse Awards. He published a book of the same name in 2019.

Shi Zhanjun, professor, editor, and critic. Former editor-in-chief of People's Literature magazine. He has edited multilingual foreign editions of People's Literature, New Voices from China Series, Compilation of Research Materials on Contemporary Chinese Literature, This Generation: Cross-Strait Young Writers Series, and Criticism Volume of the New Century Chinese Literature Series. His works include Handwritten Notes on the Eve of the Century, Love and Regret, and The Charm of Living Literature.

Sun Ganlu, writer. His publications include the novels A Thousand Miles of Rivers and Mountains, Breathing, and Time Doll: Chronology of Sun Ganlu's Short Stories, essay collections I Heard the Voice of the Suburbs Again and Two Sides of Time Coin, the interview collection Folded Time, and documentary This Place is That Place.

About the Blancpain-Imaginist Literary Prize

The Blancpain-Imaginist Literary Prize, co-founded by the prestigious Swiss watchmaker Blancpain and China's foremost publishing brand Imaginist, is the first accolade to be jointly established by a commercial brand and a publishing house, with the goal of identifying and supporting talented young writers under 45. Since its inception, the Literary Prize has upheld the principles of impartiality, authority, and professionalism, steadfastly maintaining these standards as its cornerstone.

Engagement of the members of the latest generation just entering adulthood is always a key indicator that determines the future of the world of literature. In the field of literary creation, talented young authors are always seeking an opportunity, while publishing platforms are looking for potential authors, and, at the same time, aim to attract more attention and garner more engagement. Many contemporary classical authors were discovered and recognized in their youth, as literary awards specifically designated for up and coming authors were available to them. For example, Naipaul, Coetzee and Kazuo Ishiguro all won the Man Booker Prize in their youth, and went on to earn the Nobel Prize in Literature at a later stage in their writing careers. Renowned Japanese authors, among them, Shusaku Endo, Kenzaburo Oe and Ryu Murakami, were each recipients of the Akutagawa Prize in their youth. In today's world, literary creation is a lonely and long road for young authors. The literary prize is designed to create a future that gives authors the space to focus on the creation of their works just as calligraphers are given the space and time to practice their craft.

Imaginist, the most influential publisher in China, has been dedicated to discovering the best authors who write in Chinese, offering an opportunity for thoughtful words to be published, while imagining another possibility for books. Works by Mu Xin, Kenneth Pai Hsien-yung, among others, have become even more valuable with the passage of time, nourishing the emotional life for generations of readers. Imaginist has, for a long time, been focused on publishing both the literary classics alongside the works of some of the most dynamic and thoughtful young authors who care about the human condition through the diverse collection of works that they have created with their open-minded insights. There's always great literature out there to be discovered, and the best of it always pushes the boundaries and explores new horizons. That's the core idea behind what Imaginist strives for in literature.

Bearing the identity mark of Manufacture de Haute Horlogerie (MDHH), Blancpain is a truly luxury watchmaking brand. For Blancpain, a creator of classic timepieces, watchmaking is as much a result of enduring love as writing. Since its establishment in 1735, Blancpain has ushered in the age of branded watchmaking. Over the past 290 years, navigating the ever-changing tides of time and numerous historical junctures, Blancpain has steadfastly upheld its brand philosophy of solely crafting mechanical watches and maintaining unwavering quality standards, considering MDHH as its eternal passion. This devotion resonates deeply with authors' dedication to literature and their pursuit of creating classic works, with a shared purpose. Moving forward, Blancpain sees literature as an extension of time - this is Blancpain's take on literature.

 

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