The Villa Decius Association and the International Visegrad Fund announces the call for submissions to the Visegrad Literary Award, which will honour four outstanding books (one Czech, one Polish, one Slovak, and one Hungarian) written during residencies within the framework of the Visegrad Literary Residency Program (since its foundation in 2012).
Each laureate will receive a monetary award of €3,000, along with funding of €3,000 (gross) for the translation of the winning work into English or German, payable to the publisher or the rights holder.
The Award is organized by the Villa Decius Association in cooperation with its partners: the Czech Cultural Institute (Prague), the Slovak Literary Centre (Bratislava), and the Petőfi Museum of Literature (Budapest).
The Visegrad Literary Prize will be awarded by the International Visegrad Fund on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of its foundation.
The call for submissions is open until 30 September 2025 (midnight).
Submissions
Books may be submitted by authors (including translators) as well as publishers.
Submissions must be made via the online application form.
Applicants must attach the submitted book in PDF format and send at least 3 printed copies by post to the address provided in the form.
Each submission must include a written declaration from the publisher (or rights holder) stating that, in the event of receiving the Award (funding for a translation), they will make every effort to ensure the winning book is published in English or German translation. The template of the document is available for download here.
Eligibility
Only books developed during a scholarship residency within the Visegrad Literary Residency Program are eligible (the application form must specify the year and location of the residency).
Authors who have participated in the Visegrad Literary Residency more than once may submit only one selected book.
The Award also covers literary translations, with the determining factor for a country’s representation being the language of the translation.
The monetary award for the author will be paid by 31 December 2025.
Funding for the translation of the winning work will be provided under the terms and within the timeframe specified in an agreement with the publisher (or rights holder), signed before 31 December 2025.
Jury
Submissions will be evaluated in a two-stage process by four National Juries and the Main Jury.
Each National Jury shall consist of a representative of the local Visegrad Literary Residency Program partner institution and a minimum of three literary professionals (publishers, literary critics, translators, etc.) invited by the Organizers. The selection of National Jury members will be conducted with transparency and impartiality, ensuring a diverse representation of expertise and background.
The Main Jury shall consist of a minimum of five members: a representative of the International Visegrad Fund and one expert from each of the National Juries.
The National Juries will assess the submitted works based on their literary quality and publishing potential in English- or German-speaking markets.
During the evaluation process, each National Jury will select three candidates from the pool of submissions (the “shortlist of nominees”). These nominations, along with the justification for their selection, will be forwarded to the Main Jury for deliberation.
The Main Jury shall, by simple majority vote, decide on the final laureates, awarding one Award each to works originating from Slovakia, Poland, Hungary, and Czechia.
Timeline
- 15 August – 30 September 2025 – Call for submissions
- By 30 October 2025 – Announcement of the shortlist (three nominees from each country)
- By 30 November 2025 – Announcement of the winners
- By 31 December 2025 – Presentation of monetary awards to authors and signing of agreements for translation funding with publishers (or rights holders)
- June 2026 – Official presentation of the winning books in Bratislava
The Statute of the Visegrad Literary Prize is available here.
All inquiries should be directed to: pawel.lyzwinski[at]villa.org.pl
