Expanded Prizes and Two New Awards

The 2027 Nit de les Lletres Catalanes will distribute €192,000 in literary prizes and introduce two new awards: the Institut d'Estudis Catalans (IEC) Thought Award and the Fundació Ramon Llull Award for Best Translation of Catalan Literature. The ceremony, promoted by Òmnium Cultural and the IEC, will take place on Saturday 20th February 2027 at the Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya (MNAC) in Barcelona. Four existing prizes will also see increased funding. The Mercè Rodoreda Award for Short Stories and Narratives will rise from €6,000 to €9,000, a 50% increase. The Carles Riba Award for Poetry will grow from €5,000 to €6,000. The Joaquim Ruyra Award for Young Adult Fiction will increase from €6,000 to €8,000, and the Folch i Torres Award for Children’s Literature will rise from €4,000 to €6,000.

Recognising Contemporary Catalan Thought and Translation

The new IEC Thought Award, worth €15,000, aims to promote Catalan as a language of contemporary intellectual discourse. It will honour an original Catalan-language work published between 1st September 2025 and 31st August 2026 that contributes innovative ideas and opens new debates on current challenges. According to IEC president Teresa Cabré, the award will not be limited to essays but may also recognise thought expressed in theatre or poetry.

The demands oblige us to review it every year.

The second new prize, the Fundació Ramon Llull Award for Best Translation of Catalan Literature, carries a €4,000 endowment and will reward a translation published during the award year.

Gala Returns with Cultural Performances and TV Broadcast

Produced by Focus and directed by Marc Rosich, the gala will combine prize presentations with live music, theatre, and dance performances. Inspired by the theme of night as a time for reading, it will return to a televised format in partnership with 3Cat. Organisers describe it as a celebration intended to have broad cultural impact and unite the Catalan literary sector. Xavier Antich, president of Òmnium Cultural, stated the event aims to boost the prestige of Catalan literature and expand its readership. He noted that Catalan publishing accounts for 53% of the Spanish state’s publishing turnover, with 668 active publishers and the book sector contributing 1% of GDP.

Sources: Nació Digital, El Nacional, La Vanguardia.