Finding the best emerging fiction writers in Europe

The European Union Prize for Literature is an annual initiative recognising the best emerging  fiction writers in the 40 countries participating in the Creative Europe programme of the European Union. The EUPL is supported by Creative Europe and co-organised by a Consortium composed by the European and International Booksellers Federation (EIBF) and the Federation of European Publishers (FEP).

The primary goal of the European Union Prize for Literature (EUPL) is to recognise outstanding fiction books from emerging authors in the participating countries, to extend their reach beyond national borders and promote a more interconnected and inclusive European literary scene.

The EUPL is funded by the Creative Europe programme of the European Union as part of its sectoral action on books and publishing. To learn more, visit the Creative Europe website.

Before the awards ceremony, a seven-members European Jury composed by literary experts with highly recognised professional reputations read long excerpts translated into English of all the shortlisted books. The European Jury also meets with the nominating organisations who chose the book and their publisher, who can pitch their title and answer questions about it. Afterwards, the European Jury meets to deliberate and announces the laureate and the special mentions during the award ceremony.

The anthology “European Stories” is an annual publication published by the EUPL Consortium with the support of the Publications Office of the European Union. The anthology presents the EUPL authors from the current edition and features excerpts from their shortlisted books in their original languages and translated into English. It is usually published during the second half of September, in print and digital versions (accessible ePub and PDF).

No, the EUPL Consortium is not responsible for the selection of the books, which are chosen by the nominating organisations. Read more about it in the section on the selection process.

No, but the authors should have written between two and four books of fiction. Read more about it in the section on the conditions of eligibility.