Literary award · since 1962

Nordic Council Literature Prize

Literary award of the Nordic Council. Established 1962.

About Nordic Council Literature Prize

The Nordic Council Literature Prize is awarded for a work of literature written in one of the languages of the Nordic countries, that meets "high literary and artistic standards". Established in 1962, the prize is awarded every year, and is worth 350,000 Danish kroner (2008). Eligible works are typically novels, plays, collections of poetry, short stories or essays, or other works that were published for the first time during the last four years, or in the case of works written in Danish, Norwegian, or Swedish, within the last two years. The prize is one of the most prestigious awards that Nordic authors can win. The winner is chosen by an adjudication committee appointed by the Nordic Council. The committee consists of ten members, two each from Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden.

From the Wikipedia article “Nordic Council Literature Prize”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Recent winners

YearWinnerWinning work
2025Vónbjørt Vang—
2024Niels Fredrik Dahl—
2023Joanna Rubin Dranger—
2022Solvej Balle—
2022On the Calculation of Volume I—
2021Niviaq Korneliussen—
2020Monika Fagerholm—
2019Jonas Eika—
2018Auður Ava Ólafsdóttir—
2017Kirsten Thorup—
2016Katarina Frostenson—
2015Jon Fosse—
2014Kjell WestöMirage 38

From Wikidata; the list may be incomplete for some years.

Eligibility and entering

Check the official rules of the Nordic Council Literature Prize for the current eligibility window, accepted formats, residency or language requirements and any entry fee. For most established prizes the publisher submits on the author's behalf, often with a limit on entries per imprint.

If you are self-published, look for an explicit statement that independently published books are accepted, and budget for entry fees and copies for judges.

Sources & data