2025 laureate and special mentions announced at Book World Prague
This evening, 16th May, the European Union Prize for Literature (EUPL), announced the name of its 2025 laureate, as well as the two special mentions, during a prestigious ceremony held at Book World Prague.
Glenn Micallef, Commissioner for Intergenerational Fairness, Youth, Culture and Sport, said: “My wholehearted congratulations to this year’s laureates of the European Union Prize for Literature. They are flag bearers of our European talents, diversity and values, and I am glad that, through this Prize, we are helping these stories find new echoes in minds and imaginations across borders. I am proud to support initiatives that champion literary excellence and amplify emerging voices across the continent.”
A seven-member European Jury , constituted of literary experts with professional influence, read translated excerpts of the 13 books and selected one overall laureate and two special mentions.
We are pleased to announce the 2025 EUPL laureate: Nicoletta Verna, Italy, I Giorni di Vetro (The Days of Glass), Publisher: Einaudi
This year’s two special mentions are, in alphabetical order by country:
- Belgium: Philippe Marczewski, Quand Cécile (When Cécile), Publisher: Le Seuil
- Ireland: Sheila Armstrong, Falling Animals, Publisher: Bloomsbury
Spotlighting the creativity and the immense and diverse wealth of Europe’s contemporary literature in the field of fiction, EUPL aims to promote the circulation of literature within Europe and encourages greater interest in non-national literary works. Engaging the 40 countries participating in the Creative Europe programme of the European Union, the Prize celebrates 40 outstanding new literary talents across a cycle of three years.
Thirteen countries participate in the 2025 EUPL edition: Austria, Belgium (French-speaking), Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Lithuania, Norway, Romania, Slovakia, Spain, Ukraine. The 13 shortlisted authors were announced on 6 March 2025, one for each participating country. The authors and their novels were nominated by national entities, knowledgeable about the literary scene in their countries and used to promoting their national literature abroad.
All shortlisted authors will be continuously promoted on a European stage, with the aim to reach a wider and international audience, as well as to connect with readers beyond their national and linguistic borders.
The EUPL is organised by a Consortium of associations made up of the Federation of European Publishers (FEP) and the European and International Booksellers Federation (EIBF), with the support of the Creative Europe Programme of the European Union.
Sonia Draga, FEP President said: ‘’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 organisations! 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 are 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.’’
Fabian Pagmaan, President of EIBF said: “The EUPL prize serves as a reminder of the enduring potential of European literature to transcend borders. In a world where 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 a myriad of different cultures and stories, thus contributing to a European future built on the exchange of ideas, upholding literacy, tolerance, critical thinking and open-mindedness. Today, we celebrate these 13 emerging literary voices with the hope that they will cross many borders. Congratulations to our Prize Winner, our 2 Special Mentions, and all the Prize short-listed authors.
It includes the press release in PDF format, as well as visual assets for each of the short-listed authors, special mentions and the laureate.