News

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) has announced the shortlist for the 2026 EBRD Literature Prize, and two Croatian authors are among this year’s ten selected titles: In Late Summer (U kasno ljeto) by Magdalena Blažević, translated by Anđelka Raguž, and Bedbugs (Stjenice) by Martina Vidaić, translated by Ellen Elias-Bursać.

The ten shortlisted books in English translation come from seven countries in which the EBRD invests: Croatia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Moldova, Poland, Turkey and Ukraine. They were selected by an independent jury chaired by writer, critic and cultural journalist Maya Jaggi, alongside jury members Lea Ypi, Chigozie Obioma and Marek Kohn.

The EBRD Literature Prize celebrates the richness and diversity of literature from the Bank’s regions of operation across three continents, while also recognizing the essential role of translators in bringing new voices to international readers.

Since its launch, the prize has spotlighted literature from countries including Albania, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Georgia, Greece, Latvia, Lebanon, Lithuania, Morocco, Poland, Slovakia, Turkey, Ukraine and Uzbekistan.

Last year’s prize was awarded to Ivana Bodrožić for her novel Sons, Daughters.

Submissions are made in the autumn, after which an independent jury selects a shortlist of ten outstanding works of translated fiction in March. Three finalists are then chosen a month later, and the winner is announced at an award ceremony and reception held at the Bank’s headquarters during the summer.

The €20,000 prize is shared equally between the author and translator of the winning title. The authors and translators of the other two finalist titles each receive €2,000.