When contacted, secretary of the Book Publishers Association Upali Wanigasuriya claimed the publishers had got ‘Septhembaraye Diga Dawasak’ and ‘Asandhimitta’ removed from the competition.

That is after the publishers were informed that novels first published in newspapers would not be open for awards, said Wanigasuriya.

The remaining novels shortlisted for the awards are Tennyson Perera’s ‘Maharawana’, Sunetra Rajakarunanayake’s ‘Kolombaya and Shanhaiya’, Eric Ilayappaarachchi’s ‘Paradesi’, Liyanage Amarakeerthi’s ‘Ahambakaraka’, P.B. Jayasekara’s ‘Awalama Saha Ehetuwa’, Mahinda Prasad Masimbula’s ‘Maanikkawatha’, Chandraratne Bandara’s ‘Walakulu Bemma’, Nadee Wasalamudaliarachchi’s ‘Woelfendhal Street’, Sumudu Nirani Seneviratne’s ‘Dulwala Ahankare’ and H.B. Gunaratne’s ‘Hithuwakkari’.