WHO WE ARE

 

 

At the heart of the Dublin Literary Award is a vast network of libraries; not just the network of Dublin City Libraries who have happily been serving communities since 1884 but libraries in cities, big and small around the world.

Dublin Literary Award honours excellence in world literature since 1996. Presented annually, the Award is one of the most significant literature prizes in the world, worth €100,000 for a single work of fiction in original English or translated into English. If the winning book is in English translation, the author receives €75,000 and the translator, €25,000.

Each year, a longlist is created of nominated books from invited public libraries in cities around the world. Our esteemed panel of judges then face the monumental task of narrowing these titles down to a shortlist of no more than ten titles. From this shortlist of exceptional work, one winner is selected and announced in a ceremony during the International Literature Festival Dublin.

Since 2015, the Award has been sponsored solely by Dublin City Council, administered by Dublin City Libraries and kindly supported by Dublin UNESCO City of Literature.

 

 

HISTORY OF THE AWARD

Originally established in 1994 by Dublin City, Civic Charter as the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award; it was later renamed the International Dublin Literary Award in November 2015.

The Award arose from an initiative of Dublin Corporation, the Municipal Government of Dublin City on the instigation of the then Lord Mayor Alderman Gay Mitchell who commissioned an expert group to consider and report on the feasibility of organising a Dublin Literary Award. The expert group comprised of Chair, Mr. Sean Donlon (of the Irish Department of Foreign Affairs and GPA), Deirdre Ellis-King, Dublin City Librarian, Professor Augustine Martin of University College Dublin, Senator David Norris, Trinity College Dublin and Colm O’Briain, formerly Director of the Irish Arts Council. Their Report was adopted by the City Council and incorporated into the Report of the Lord Mayor’s Commission on Economic Development in Dublin.

The original private sector sponsoring partner was IMPAC, and its founder, the late James B. Irwin Snr. Mr Irwin and IMPAC supported the Award for many years through a Trust set up to fund the prize money, which was exhausted at the end of 2014. Dublin City Council is grateful to the late James B Irwin Snr. and IMPAC for their support over the years.

AWARD COMMITTEE

Mairéad Owens

Dublin City Librarian and
Chair (Ex-officio)

Brendan Teeling

Deputy City Librarian

Anne-Marie Kelly

Director Dublin UNESCO
City of Literature

Catherine Neville

Award Administrator

The Award is a Dublin City Council initiative and the prize is entirely funded by Dublin City Council.

NOMINATION PROCESS

Rules and submission process for entering the Dublin Literary Award

Submissions for the 2025 Dublin Literary Award opened on the 10th June 2024. Please note, only public libraries can submit entries to the prize. Publishers, authors and agents are not permitted to enter the prize directly.  Publishers, authors and agents should not request libraries to nominate a book and doing so will make the title ineligible for nomination or the prize.

Books which are nominated for the Award by public libraries from around the world must meet the following criteria:

  • Titles must be works of fiction
  • Titles must demonstrate high literary merit (as determined by the nominating library)
  • Titles must be first published in original English or first published in English translation between 1 July 2023 and 30 June 2024.
  • The closing date for nominations is Wednesday 31 July 2024 at 17:00 GMT.

 

The process of nominations is managed by Dublin City Libraries. A panel of distinguished international judges are put in place under a non-voting chair.

Through careful consideration, the judges select a winner from a longlist and then a shortlist of no more than 10 titles.

To view the Rules and Conditions for the 2025 Dublin Literary Award click on the language you require below:

English / Click Here

French / Télécharger les règles en langue Française

Japanese / 日本語のルールをダウンロード

Portuguese / Baixar regras em língua Portuguesa

Spanish / Baixe as regras em Espanhol

Chinese / 查看中文版规则

If you are interested in becoming a nominating library email literaryaward@dublincity.ie for more information.

BECOME A NOMINATING LIBRARY

Interested in becoming a nominating library?

We accept nominations from public libraries in major cities around the world.

For more information about becoming a nominating library, click below and fill in your details.  We will respond shortly.

FIND OUT MORE

 

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CONTACT US

Dublin Literary Award
Dublin City Library & Archive
139-144 Pearse Street
D02 HE37
Dublin 2
Ireland

literaryaward@dublincity.ie

PRESS

For press inquiries please contact press@dublincity.ie

ACCESS PRESS PACK HERE

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