European Union Prize for Literature

The aim of the European Union Prize for Literature (EUPL) is to put the spotlight on the creativity and diverse wealth of Europe’s contemporary literature in the field of fiction, to promote the circulation of literature within Europe and to encourage greater interest in non-national literary works.

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.

As the consortium selected by the European Commission to coordinate the initiative, the European and International Booksellers Federation (EIBF), the European Writers’ Council (EWC) and the Federation of European Publishers (FEP) 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 first three-year cycle was completed in 2009-2011, the second cycle in 2012-2014.

Countries participating in the Creative Europe Programme 2021-2027:

Member States of the European Union: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden.

Non-EU countries: Iceland, Norway and Liechtenstein, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo*, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, Georgia, Tunisia, Ukraine.

* This designation is without prejudice to positions on status, and is in line with UNSCR 1244/1999 and the ICJ Opinion on the Kosovo Declaration of Independence

For more information, please see: Culture programme – Publication JO

Selection Process

The nominating authors are selected by national qualified juries set up in each of the countries participating in the award. The winning author and the special mentions are chosen by an international jury super-partes formed by distinguished personalities in the book world.

The authors are selected on the basis of criteria stipulated by the European Commission and fulfill in particular the following requirements:

• Being a citizen of one of the countries selected;
• Having published between 2 and 4 books of fiction;
• The winning book must have been published maximum 18 months before the date of the announcement.

Find out more about the selection criteria on the EUPL website.

Selected countries in 2022:
Austria, Belgium (Flemish speaking), Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Lithuania, North Macedonia, Norway, Romania, Slovakia, Spain and Ukraine.

Selected countries in 2021:
Albania, Armenia, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Iceland, Latvia, Malta, Netherlands, Portugal, Serbia, Slovenia, Sweden, Tunisia and Moldova.

Countries participating in the Creative Europe Programme 2014-2020:

Member States of the European Union: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and United Kingdom.

Non-EU countries: Iceland, Norway and Liechtenstein, North Macedonia, Serbia and Turkey.

Selected countries in 2020
Belgium, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, Cyprus, Denmark, Estonia, North Macedonia, Germany, Kosovo, Luxembourg, Montenegro, Norway and Spain.

Selected countries in 2019
Austria, Finland, France, Hungary, Georgia, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Ukraine and United Kingdom.

Selected countries in 2017
Albania, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Greece, Iceland, Latvia, Malta, Montenegro, Netherlands, Serbia, Turkey, and United Kingdom.

Selected countries in 2016
Belgium, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Cyprus, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Luxembourg, Romania, Slovenia, Spain and former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.

Selected countries in 2015
Austria, Croatia, France, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Lithuania, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia and Sweden.

Selected countries in 2014
Albania, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Greece, Iceland, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Malta, Montenegro, Serbia, Netherlands, Turkey and United Kingdom.

Countries participating in the Culture Programme 2007-2013

All Member States of the European Union as of January 1st, 2007: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and United Kingdom;

Non-EU countries: Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Turkey, Croatia, former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Serbia, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Montenegro.

Selected countries in 2013
Belgium, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Cyprus, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Luxembourg, Romania, Slovenia, Spain and former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.

Selected countries in 2012
Austria, Croatia, France, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Lithuania, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia and Sweden.

Selected countries in 2011
Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Greece, Iceland, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Malta, Montenegro, Serbia, Netherlands, Turkey and United Kingdom.

Selected countries in 2010
Belgium, Cyprus, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Luxembourg, Romania, Slovenia, Spain and former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.

Selected countries in 2009
Austria, Croatia, France, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Lithuania, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia and Sweden.

For more info, visit: https://www.euprizeliterature.eu/