Gdynia Literary Prize

ぐでぃにゃぶんがくしょう

An annual Polish literary prize honoring outstanding Polish-language long-form prose, poetry, essays, and translations published in the previous year.

ProsePoetryessaytranslation (since 2014)

Established: 2006
Organizer: City of Gdynia (Mayor of Gdynia)
Category: Research, Translation, and Scholarship
Selection Method: Recommendation
Target: Professional
Frequency: 1 per year
Status: Active

Description

The Gdynia Literary Prize (Nagroda Literacka Gdynia) is a Polish annual literary award established in 2006. It features categories for long-form prose, poetry, essays, and since 2014, translation, selecting the most outstanding achievements from books in Polish published in the previous year. Nominations are announced in May at the international book fair, and winners receive the “Literature Cube” statuette along with 50,000 PLN at the Grand Gala (Gdynia) in June. Judging is handled by the GLP Chapter (selection committee).

Prize

Main Prize: “Literature Cube” statuette (trophy) and 50,000 PLN prize money
Cash Prize: 50,000 PLN

Attendance at the award ceremony at the Grand Gala
Participation in events related to Literaturomanie (festival)
Supplementary publications and promotional opportunities provided by the Public City Library (Gdynia)

Selection

Selection Process

Stage	Judges	Pass Rate	Announcement
Nominations (candidates) announcement	GLP Chapter (selection committee)	null	Nominations announced in May at the Warsaw International Book Fair
Winner selection and announcement	GLP Chapter (selection committee)	null	Winning works announced and awarded at the Grand Gala (Gdynia) in June

Nominations (candidates) announcement

Judges GLP Chapter (selection committee)

Pass Rate null

Announcement Nominations announced in May at the Warsaw International Book Fair

Winner selection and announcement

Judges GLP Chapter (selection committee)

Pass Rate null

Announcement Winning works announced and awarded at the Grand Gala (Gdynia) in June

Criteria

Must be a Polish-language book published in the previous year
Literary value, originality, and mastery of expression
Contribution to and significance in contemporary Polish literature
Translation category evaluates translation quality, understanding, and faithful recreation of the original

Application Tips

Dos

Confirm that it is a book published in Polish the previous year
Collaborate with the publisher to prepare publicity materials and documentation, as nominations are often made through publishers or agents
Compile reviews and commentaries that clearly convey the work's literary value and originality
For the translation category, thoroughly enhance the quality of the translation (prepare comparative materials with the original)

Don''ts

Mistake it for a public open call award and overly rely on solo self-published applications
Apply (or expect success) with works that do not meet the previous-year publication requirement
Focus only on PR without confirming the format or selection procedures

From Judges

The selection committee emphasizes unique contributions to contemporary Polish literature and sustained impact (summary: “honour unique achievements of contemporary Polish authors”)
Literary originality and perfection of expression are highly valued
Translations are evaluated on preserving the original spirit without impairment, and whether the translation stands as an independent literary work