Literary Awards

Europe’s multi-cultural landscape offers a wealth of literary awards recognizing the finest achievements in contemporary literature across multiple genres. Browse awards here.

Selected literary awards

Established in 2018 and named after the Romanian novelist, activist and translator Sofia Nădejde, this Literary Award honors not only poetry and prose but also innovation and outstanding contributions to literature. The Awards are exclusively dedicated to literature written by women, and they are presented annually at a gala.

On occasion of the Romanian Culture Day, the National Poetry Award Mihai Eminescu is presented. The Ipotesti Memorial and the local authorities award the Opus Primum and the Opera Omnia to poets making their debuts as well as to established names in the Romanian literature. The Award ceremony is connected to other events such as conferences, exhibitions, and concerts.

The Writers’ Union of Romania was created in 1909 and supports the literary scene of Romania. The union hands out annual prizes in several categories like Poetry, Prose, Essay and Literary, History, Drama, Literature for Children and Youth, Translations and Debut. There are also two prizes for literature in languages of national minorities, awarded based on proposal from the Committee on Minorities.

The Lucian Blaga Award, named after the poet Lucian Blaga, is awarded annually at the memorial house where the poet was born. Founded in 2018, the award honors outstanding works of poetry. Poets nominated for the prize read their creations at a gala and the National Poetry Award is handed out by the president of Alba Country Council, which organizes the ceremony.

Over the past ten years, under various names and forms, the Z9 platform has promoted and supported the latest voices in contemporary literature. At the Z9 international festival of young poetry in Sibiu, two poetry prizes are awarded: the Z9Debut and the Z9Poezie.

Radio Romania Cultural is the second national channel of the Romanian Broadcasting Corporation, dedicated to cultural news, theatre, and music masterpieces. The Radio Romania Culture Awards Gala is the only event that grants awards in all areas of culture in Romania. Categories like fiction, poetry, theatre, film, visual arts, science, music and education are honored at a gala usually held at the Odeon Theatre in Bucharest. Furthermore, the Observator Cultural Magazine awards prizes for translations not just into the Romanian language, but also for translations of Romanian works.