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New format for EUPL Prize

       I hadn't realized that the European Union Prize for Literature has announced a new format.
       Previously, each of the nations involved in each cycle (a third of the 41 participating countries each year, i.e. 13 or 14 at a time) announced a winner. Now:

The 2022-2024 cycle introduces a new format for the EUPL Prize: initial book selection for each participating country will be conducted xby national organisations, each entitled to submit one book that is of high literary quality with potential for translatability. A second round of selection will be conducted by a seven-member European jury, who will thus select an overall Prize winner and five special mention awards.

       I've always had some difficulties with this prize, not least because it is decided by national juries; I'm not sure that this will be a big improvement (though at least it will be a single prize now, for just one book, rather than the dozen or so we got each time previously).
       Meanwhile, the European Writers' Council -- part of the consortium that coördinates the prize -- also takes issue with the changes, to the extent that they've now announced that they have withdrawn from the consortium, complaining that:

Furthermore, as the selection processes have changed considerably at national as well as pan-European level, the EWC Board concluded that the new EUPL concept does not promote multilingualism as key to the European language diversity, and is not following our convictions of equal treatment for all countries.

Discovering a wide range of new authors every year was a highlight for us and the core meaning of the EUPL. As this approach has now changed, the EWC no longer wishes to endorse this format.

       It will be interesting to see whether the EUPL reconsiders -- specific aspects, or perhaps the whole prize(-procedure).

(Posted by: M.A.Orthofer)    - permanent link -