EU Prize for Literature


THE EU PRIZE FOR LITERATURE
The European Union Prize for Literature is an annual initiative to recognise the best emerging authors in Europe.
Launched by the European Commission in 2009, the prize is open to countries participating in the Creative Europe programme for the cultural and creative sectors.
At present, it is organised by a consortium consisting of the European Booksellers Federation, the European Writers' Council and the Federation of European Publishers.

The Prize aims to:
  • showcase and put a spotlight on Europe’s diverse wealth of contemporary fiction;
  • raise the profile of winning authors outside their home country and help them cross borders and reach broader readership;
  • raise general awareness and stimulate interest in the whole book sector about the literary diversity in Europe;
  • promote actively the publishing, translation, selling and reading of books from other European countries; 
  • Encourage transnational circulation of literature, both in Europe and beyond. 

THE PRIZE COMPETITION
The Prize competition is open to the countries currently involved in the Creative Europe programme. Each year, national juries in a third of the participating countries nominate their winning authors, making it possible for all countries and language areas to be represented over a three-year cycle.
The national expert juries make independent quality assessments while respecting established basic criteria, in particular:
  • The author must be a citizen of one of the countries participating in a given year.
  • The author must have published between 2 and 4 works of fiction.
  • The book for which the Prize is awarded must be the latest work of the author and published in the last 18 months.

THE PRIZE IN 2019

More information is available on the website of the European Union Prize for Literature.