Published
11/20/2025, 09:44The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development has opened applications for its 2026 literary prize. The competition is open to novels or short story collections by a single author that were first published within the last year and translated into English from countries where the Bank invests (including Kyrgyzstan). Entries can be submitted until December 8, 2025.
The jury will once again be chaired by writer and cultural critic Maja Jaggi, who is completing her third term. She will be joined by Albanian scholar and author Lea Ipi, Nigerian writer Chigozie Obioma, and documentary prose researcher Marek Kon. The winner will be announced on July 2, 2026, in London. The prize will be €20,000, to be shared equally between the author and the translator, with the two other finalists receiving prizes of €2,000.
This year, books from Benin, Côte d'Ivoire, Iraq, Kenya, Nigeria, and Senegal are eligible for the first time. The EBRD emphasizes that expanding the geography will enhance cultural exchange and make more literature available to English-speaking readers.
The selection criteria can be found here.
