Literary award · Norway · since 1964

Tarjei Vesaas' debutantpris

Prize awarded annually for the best first literary work in Norwegian. Established 1964 in Norway.

About Tarjei Vesaas' debutantpris

Tarjei Vesaas's debutantpris is a prize awarded annually for the best first literary work in Norwegian. It is awarded by the Norwegian Authors' Union, and the organisation's 9-member Literary Caucus constitutes the jury for the prize. They choose the winner based on a free and independent evaluation on aesthetic criteria. In accordance with an agreement between the Authors' Union and the Norwegian Publishers' Association, all newly published Norwegian literature is sent to all members of the Literary Caucus. The members thus choose the year's winner without there being any direct application for the prize. The winner is chosen at the Literary Caucus' annual 3-day January meeting, at which the caucus performs most of the tasks within its mandate, concerning stipends, guaranteed income and prizes. The prize is usually awarded in March.

From the Wikipedia article “Tarjei Vesaas' debutantpris”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Recent winners

YearWinnerWinning work
2020Karoline BrændjordNone
2017Zeshan Shakar—
2015Kenneth Moe—
2014Amalie Kasin LerstangNone
2013Gine Cornelia PedersenNone
2012Peter Franziskus StrasseggerNone
2011Lina Undrum MariussenNone
2010Helga FlatlandNone
2009Kjersti Annesdatter Skomsvold—
2009Eivind Hofstad Evjemo—
2008Lars Petter Sveen—
2007Nils Henrik Smith—
2006Thomas Marco Blatt—

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

Eligibility and entering

Check the official rules of the Tarjei Vesaas' debutantpris 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