At the Prague 2025 European Union Prize for Literature program are, from left, special mention recipient Sheila Armstrong (Ireland); winner Nicoletta Verna (Italy); Jens Christian Grøndahl, president of the jury; and special mention recipient Philippe Marczewski (Belgium). Image: EUPL
By Porter Anderson, Editor-in-Chief | @Porter_Anderson
Promoting ‘ circulation of literature in Europe’
Amid the unusually dense crush of international publishing events this spring and the rollout of awards programs, there are news items that need to be reviewed and covered as we head for summer.
You may recall, for example, the European Union Prize for Literature‘s (EUPL) shortlist early last month, part of the 40-country program that’s meant to “promote the circulation of literature in Europe,” encouraging “greater interest in non-national literary works.”
Those 40 nations are the ones that engage in the programming of the EU’s Creative Europe program, and it uses a cycle of three years to work its way through those 40 nations.
Governance of the prize is managed by an EUPL consortium, as it’s called—cooperative efforts between the Federation of European Publishers (FEP) and the European and International Booksellers Federation (EIBF) with Creative Europe’s support, and that March 6 announcement carried the news of 13 shortlisted authors for the award’s 2025 edition, one for each participating country in this year’s part of the three-year cycle.
Following the naming of the shortlist, seven jurors then read excerpts from them, in order to name a top winner and two special-mentions at the Prague Book World event in the Bohemian Pavilion.
The 2025 EUPL Winner and Special Mentions
We’ll republish the shortlist for you below, with the news that the honored trio from this deep bench are:
- Winner: Nicoletta Verna for I Giorni di Vetro (The Days of Glass), published by Giulio Einaudi editore (2024)
- Special mention: Sheila Armstrong for Falling Animals, published by Bloomsbury (2023)
- Special mention: Philippe Marczewski for Quand Cécile (When Cécile), published by Le Seuil
Sonia Draga speaks about the European Union Prize for Literature. Image: EUPL
In comments on these 2025 successes, Sonia Draga, president of the Federation of European Publishers, says, “Congratulations to the EUPL 2025 laureate and the two special mentions, as well as to all the shortlisted authors for being selected by their national nominating organizations.
“For us publishers, awards such as the EUPL are crucial to discovering new voices to propose to our readers.
“Stories have the power to bridge borders, and we’re proud to support the translation and circulation of your works across the continent. Reading across languages opens minds, fosters empathy, and strengthens our shared European identity. We look forward to seeing your books reach new readers in many languages.”
And Fabian Paagman, European and International Booksellers Federation president Fabian Paagman says, “The EUPL prize serves as a reminder of the enduring potential of European identity to transcend borders.
Fabian Paagman watches the 2025 EUPL ceremony in Prague. Image: EUPL
“In a world in which restrictions on freedom of expression keep increasing, promoting diverse voices is of paramount importance.
“EUPL does this in a very symbolic way: spotlighting 13 authors from all over our continent who embody myriad different cultures and stories, thus contributing to a European future built on the exchange of ideas, upholding literacy, tolerance, critical thinking, and open-mindedness.
“We celebrate these 13 emerging literary voices with the hope that they’ll cross many borders. Congratulations to our prize laureate, our two special mentions, and all the prize shortlisted authors.”
The 2025 European Union Prize for Literature Shortlist
- Austria: Ljuba Arnautović, Erste Töchter (First Daughters)
- Belgium: Philippe Marczewski, Quand Cécile (When Cécile)
- Bosnia-Herzegovina: Mihaela Šumić, Čovjek vuk (The Wolf Man)
- Georgia: Tea Topuria, იაკობის ჭასთან (By Jacob’s Well)
- Greece: Makis Malafekas, Deep Fake (Deepfake)
- Ireland: Sheila Armstrong, Falling Animals (Falling Animals)
- Italy: Nicoletta Verna, I Giorni di Vetro (The Days of Glass)
- Lithuania: Kotryna Zylė, Mylimi Kaulai (Beloved Bones)
- Norway: Maria Kjos Fonn, Margaret, er du i sorg (Margaret, Are You Grieving)
- Romania: Bogdan Crețu, Mai puţin decât dragostea (Less Than Love)
- Slovakia: Lukáš Cabala, Spomenieš si na Trenčín? (Will You Remember Trenčín?)
- Spain: David Uclés, La peninsula de las casas vacías (The Peninsula of Empty Houses)
- Ukraine: Halyna Matveeva, Ключ соль (The Key of G)
Among the shortlisted authors for the 2025 European Union Prize for Literature are, top row from left: Ljuba Arnautovic; Philippe Marczewski; Mhaela Šumic; and Tea Topuria. Second row: Makis Malafekas; Sheila Armstrong; Nicoletta Verna; and Kotryna Zyle. Third row: Maria Kjos Fonn; Bogdan Cretu; and Lukáš Cabala
More from Publishing Perspectives on international book and publishing awards programs is here. More from us on the European Union Prize for Literature is here, and more on the publishing markets and trends of Europe is here.