If you’re a young translator (defined as under 35 and unpublished in book form) and translate from German, you should be entering the competition for the 2019 Gutekunst Prize of the Friends of Goethe. Applicants submit translations of a predetermined text provided by the organizers of approximately 15 pages, then a jury picks the prizewinner. The prize itself consists of $2500 plus excellent bragging rights, by which I mean professional recognition. To enter the competition, request a sample from the Goethe-Institut New York. This year’s submission deadline is March 15, 2018. If you think you might apply, best to request the sample posthaste so you’ll have plenty of time to translate and revise.
For more information about the prize and application guidelines, see the Gutekunst Prize page on the Goethe-Institut New York website.
Best of luck to all the translators sharpening their pencils right now.