Sign up for the European Union Prize for Literature Newsletter

The EUPL 2020 is on its way! The EWC hosted all jury presidents for the 2020 kick off edition last month, which officially marked the start of the selection process in each of our 13 participating countries this year: Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Cyprus, Denmark, Estonia, Germany, Kosovo, Luxembourg, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Norway, and Spain.

The Newsletter issues features: 

• Four EUPL winners participate at an event at the Theatre Le140
• Faruk Šehić longlisted for the 2020 Prize of the Republic of Consciousness
• David Machado’s new book is released this week
• Marta Dzido spoke about her EUPL winning book for Polish television
• Spotlighting the International Mother Language Day
• Countdown to EUPL 2020 shortlist
• EUPL podcast with Carolina Schutti and Gabriela Babnik
• upcoming events

Sign-up for the Newsletter: www.euprizeliterature.eu

About the European Union Prize for Literature

The works of the selected winners (one per country participating in the Prize on a rotation basis) will reach a wider and international audience, and touch readers beyond national and linguistic borders.

The Prize is financed by the Creative Europe programme of the European Commission, which aims to achieve three main goals: to promote cross-border mobility of those working in the cultural sector; to encourage the transnational circulation of cultural and artistic output; and to foster intercultural dialogue.

The consortium selected by the European Commission to coordinate the initiative is composed by the European and International Booksellers Federation (EIBF), the European Writers’ Council (EWC) and the Federation of European Publishers (FEP). These three members are jointly responsible for the setting up of the national juries and the practical organisation of the award ceremony.

The Prize competition is open to the 41 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 EUPL is organised by a Consortium comprising the European Writers’ Council (EWC), the Federation of European Publishers (FEP) and the European and International Booksellers Federation (EIBF) with the support of the European Commission. As funded by Creative Europe, it is accessible to all countries participating in this EU funding programme for the cultural and creative sectors for 2014-2020.

National juries, consisting of experts in fields of literature, publishing and bookselling, are set up in each country participating in the EUPL in the respective year. After shortlisting 3 to 5 authors, the national Juries choose their laureates who receive a financial prize but also benefit from increased international visibility and cross-border promotion, starting with the Awards Ceremony in Brussels and continuing at major book fairs in Europe and beyond.

The Cycles

The first three-year cycle was completed in 2009-2011, the second cycle in 2012-2014, the third cycle in 2015-2017.

In 2018, EUPL celebrated its tenth Anniversary with a writing contest open to all previous 108 winners. 36 former EUPL laureates from 26 different countries answered the call. 5 authors were awarded in 4 different categories (Professional jury, public, Members of the European Parliament and special mention for the European Year of Cultural Heritage) for the quality of the short story they produced for the contest.

2019 marked the beginning of the fourth three-year cycle, which will be completed in 2021.