Europe’s multi-cultural landscape offers a wealth of literary awards recognizing the finest achievements in contemporary literature across multiple genres. Browse awards here.
The Kościelski Award is the oldest independent Polish literary award. It is awarded by the Kościelski Foundation, operating since 1959 in Geneva. Every year, the jury, consisting of outstanding literary lovers and critics residing in Poland and abroad, awards one or more prizes to promising writers under 40 years of age. The distinction awarded by the Foundation is the highest permanent Polish literary award outside the country, considered to be a reliable measure of writing achievements.
The Transatlantyk is an annual award granted by the Book Institute to an eminent ambassador of Polish literature abroad. The winner may be a translator, a publisher, a critic, or an animator of cultural life. The award was presented for the first time in 2005, during the Conference of Polish Literature Translators at the Juliusz Słowacki Theatre. In addition to 10,000 EUR the laureate receives a commemorative certificate and a statuette designed by Łukasz Kieferling.
The Nike Literary Award is an annual Polish literary prize honoring the best literary work published by a Polish author in the previous year. Established in 1997 and founded by the Gazeta Wyborcza, it is open for all literary genres, including non-fiction essays and autobiographies. The award is endowed with 100,000 PLN. In addition, the winner receives a statuette of the Greek goddess Nike, designed by the prominent Polish sculptor Kazimierz Gustaw Zemła.
The Wisława Szymborska Award is an international prize given in two categories: annually for the best book of poetry published originally in the Polish language in the year preceding the award, and every other year for a volume of poetry translated into Polish. The Award comprises a statuette and a cash prize in an amount specified by the Board of the Foundation.
Paszport Polityki (Polityka’s Passport) is an annual Polish cultural award presented by the weekly magazine Polityka since 1993. It is awarded in six major categories: literature, film, theatre, classical music, popular music, visual arts. The award is a distinction for creators who make the fastest progress, surprise with new achievements, and whose activities deserve support and promotion in the world.
