The Results Of The Malta Book Fund 2026 Are Out

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17th July, 2026

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The National Book Council (NBC) is pleased to announce that the Malta Book Fund 2026 adjudication board has agreed on the winning submissions for this year’s edition.

A total of 39 projects will be receiving funding for publication or translation through the Malta Book Fund, in a marked increase from last year which also aligns in a strengthened budget for this year’s edition – up by an additional €19,000 when compared to 2025. The expanded budget also sees the introduction of new categories to the Fund, namely the Audiobook and Ebook publishing grants, marking a commitment by the NBC to push for innovation in the sector.

The winning projects have been chosen according to a set of established criteria, including the completeness of the submission, cultural and educational value of the project, its engagement with the publishing market and target audience, feasibility and costings.

The Malta Book Fund 2026 Adjudication Board was composed of Ramona Depares, Romario Sciberras, Ludvic Azzopardi Ferrando, Simon Bartolo, who independently assessed each submission.

According to the adjudicators, a number of the awarded applications showed significant literary merit and cultural relevance, while also making a clear case for their projected target audience.

The adjudicators also hailed the strong presence of queer, feminist and other under-represented voices among the successful applications, realising the Fund’s potential to strengthen diversity and representation in the Maltese literary landscape.

By the application period deadline on 19 May, the 2026 Malta Book Fund received a total of 98 submissions across all strands of the Fund. The budget for the 2026 edition was €154,000, as follows:

1. Publishing Grants for New Books – €55,000

2. Publishing Grants for New Editions of Out-of-Print Works – €10,000

3. E-book Publishing Grants – €3,000

4. Audiobook Publishing Grants – €6,000

5. Translation and Export Grants Category 1: Grants for the Translation and Export of books by Maltese authors – €50,000

6. Translation and Export Grants Category 2: Book Translation Pitch Grants (Sample translations) – €5,000

7. Grants for Translations into Maltese – €25,000

Applicants who fail to receive funds in a particular year are not barred from applying again during the next call for applications, whether with the same project or a different one.

Each applicant will receive a comprehensive report on their application, which will include both the marks and the general comments submitted by adjudicators.

The NBC will contact the winning applicants to sign a beneficiary’s contract, which allows a two-year (24 months) period from the date of signing to publish the book.

All the funded projects according to their strand can be found below.

Publishing Grants for New Books

Applikant Applicant	Proġett Project	Pubblikatur Publisher	Fond allokat € Funds allocated €
Omar N'Shea	Joey Tilbes huwa esej-ktieb letterarju li jirkupra u jitteorizza l-istorja inviżibbli tax-xena queer f’Malta bejn is-sittinijiet u l-ewwel snin tal-millennju l-ġdid. Joey Tilbes is comprised of literary essays which recover and theorise the invisible history of the queer scene in Malta between the sixties and the first years of the new millennium.	Aphroconfuso	5,000
Mario Xuereb	Erased from Empire: British Subjects and Civilian Internment in Italian Fascist Camps isegwi l-marġinalizzazzjoni progressiva, l-internament, u t-tixrid eventwali tal-Maltin ta' Tripli, kostitwent distint tad-dijaspora Maltija fl-Afrika ta' Fuq. Erased from Empire: British Subjects and Civilian Internment in Italian Fascist Camps chronicles the progressive marginalisation, internment, and ultimate dispersal of the Maltese Tripolini, a distinct constituent of the Maltese diaspora in North Africa.	Kite Group	5,000
André Mangion	Min Jidħak L-Aħħar huwa dramm ġdid ta' André Mangion li jesplora t-tema tal-mard terminali b'bilanċ intelliġenti bejn l-umoriżmu u l-uman. Min Jidħak L-Aħħar is a new play by André Mangion which explores the theme of terminal illnesses, striking an intelligent balance between the humorous and the human.	Klabb Kotba Maltin	5,000
Simone Spiteri	Ħobżna ta' Kuljum huwa skritt oriġinali għal dramm bil-Malti ta' Simone Spiteri, ibbażat fi żmien l-istrajk tal-ħobż f'Malta fl-1977. Il-proġett jipproponi l-pubblikazzjoni tad-dramm waqt li se jittella' fuq il-palk għall-ewwel darba f'Settembru tal-2026 minn Dù Theatre, bil-għan li jitqies bħala xogħol letterarju u anke bħala dokument kulturali tat-teatru kontemporanju Malti. Ħobżna ta' Kuljum is an original Maltese-language playscript by Simone Spiteri, set during Malta’s 1977 bread strike. The project proposes the publication of the play in tandem with its September 2026 stage premiere by Dù Theatre, aiming to position it both as a literary work and as a lasting cultural document of contemporary Maltese theatre.	Awtoppubblikat / Self-published	3582.72
Leanne Ellul	The Moving Finger hija ġabra ta' poeżiji mill-poeta lawreata Maria Grech Ganado, li tiġbor flimkien xogħol li qatt ma ġie ppubblikat qabel, miktub f'deċennji differenti. The Moving Finger is a poetry collection by poet laureate Maria Grech Ganado, bringing together work that has never been published before written across decades.	Merlin Publishers	5,000
Kurt Borg	Mill-Għeruq huwa ktieb ta’ letteratura mhux fittizja fil-forma ta’ esej. Jittratta t-tema ta’ individwu jitqabad mar-relazzjoni mal-familja tiegħu u dwar kemm il-klassi soċjali tifforma u tinforma kif individwu jħares lejh innifsu u qrabatu. Mill-Għeruq is a non-fiction literary book written in the essay form. It deals with an individual's struggle with family relations, whilst also focusing on how social class forms and informs how an individual perceives himself and his relatives.	Aphroconfuso	5,000
Luke Joseph Buhagiar	Mhux Nitkellmu Qegħdin? huwa rumanz ambjentat f’belt bla isem fejn l-ikbar punt ta’ riferiment huwa kumpless tax-xiri enormi. Mhux Nitkellmu Qegħdin? is a novel set in an unnamed city where the largest landmark is a huge shopping mall.	Kotba Calleja	5,000
Loranne Vella	Ittri lil Poeta Żagħżugħa hija ġabra epistolari li beħsiebha żżur ix-xogħol seminali ta’ Rainer Maria Rilke — fejn il-poeta veteran jagħti pariri dwar l-arti tal-poeżija u l-għajxien tal-ħajja poetika lil kittieb li għadu fil-bidu tal-karriera tiegħu — u ġġeddu billi tagħtih xejra femminista, intima u kwotidjana mingħajr ma ċċedi s-sbuħija tal-espressjoni li għaliha huma tant magħrufa l-ittri ta’ Rilke. Xogħol ta' Jasmine Bajada. Ittri lil Poeta Żagħżugħa is an epistolary anthology in conversation with Rainer Maria Rilke's seminal work, in which the veteran poet gives advice about the poetic artform and lifestyle to a writer whose career is still starting out. Rilke's work is given new life by being given an intimate and quotidian feminist take without relinquishing the beauty of expression which Rilke's letters are known for. Work by Jasmine Bajada.	Aphroconfuso	5,000
Martin G. Debattista	Beyond the Nurse: The Socio-Economic Realities of Malta in World War I that Triggered the Sette Giugno huwa bbażat fuq riċerka inizjali għal Maġisteru, u jixħet il-lenti kompletament lil hinn mill-istrateġija militari u l-politika. Minflok, dan ix-xogħol juri li l-kawżiet ewlenin tal-irvelli tas-Sette Giugno kienu intrinsikament ġejjin mill-kundizzjonijiet soċjoekonomiċi severi tal-popolazzjoni lokali, li ma żviluppawx wara tmiem l-Ewwel Gwerra Dinjija, imma proprju fil-bidu tagħha fl-1914. Beyond the Nurse: The Socio-Economic Realities of Malta in World War I that Triggered the Sette Giugno is based on initial Master's research, and shifts the lens entirely away from military strategy and politics. Instead, it will demonstrate that the root causes of the Sette Giugno riots were deeply embedded in the severe socio-economic conditions of the local population, that did not develop after the end of WWI, but at its very start in 1914.	Kite Group	5,000
Glen Calleja	EREŻIJA huwa ktieb ġdid ta' Alex Vella Gera, li fih imur lil hinn mill-istil u l-ġeneri tas-soltu, iħalli r-realiżmu warajh u jibni dinjiet fantasjużi ġodda li kultant jixxiebhu mar-realtajiet lokali u kultant inqas. EREŻIJA is a new book by Alex Vella Gera, in which he digresses from his usual style and genres, leaving realism behind him and building fantastic new worlds which sometimes look like local realities and sometimes they don't.	Kotba Calleja	5,000
Noah Fabri	Nokkli huwa rumanz li jkopri sittin sena ta’ attiviżmu xellugi, avventuri, intimatijiet u ħbiberiji f’Malta, Londra, l-Italja, u madwar id-dinja, marbutin mar-rabta ta’ bejn bint u missierha. Nokkli is a novel which covers sixty years of leftist activism, adventures, intimacies and friendships in Malta, London, Italy, and around the world, related to the connection between a daughter and her father.	Aphroconfuso	5,000
Loranne Vella	Ħames Pitazzi fuq Guillaume Dustan hija kitba ibrida, bejn bijografija, kritika u pitazz, u huwa kronaka tar-residenza ta’ Warren Bartolo f’Pariġi fejn irriċerka l-ħajja u x-xogħol ta' Guillaume Dustan (1965-2005), figura storika tal-kontrokultura queer u konoxxitur tal-ħajja ta’ billejl. Ħames Pitazzi fuq Guillaume Dustan is a hybrid piece of writing, verging between biography, criticism and a copybook. It chronicles Warren Bartolo's residency in Paris where he researched Guillaume Dustan's life and works (1965-2005). Dustan is a historical figure of queer counterculture and a nightlife conoisseur.	Aphroconfuso	2,870

Publishing Grants for New Editions of Out-of-Print Works

Applikant Applicant	Proġett Project	Pubblikatur Publisher	Fond allokat € Funds allocated €
Joseph Borg / L-Akkademja tal-Malti	Nokkla Sewda hija r-ripubblikazzjoni tal-aħħar edizzjoni ta’ dan ir-rumanz li dehret fl-1958, u għalhekk ilu nieqes minn fuq l-ixkaffi tal-ħwienet tal-kotba 68 sena. Nokkla Sewda is the republication of the latest edition of this novel, published in 1958, meaning that it has been missing from bookstores for 68 years.	Klabb Kotba Maltin	5,000
Joseph Borg	Kwart ta’ Mija hija r-ripubblikazzjoni tal-antoloġija ta’ novelli li Alfred Sant kien ippubblika fl-1995 minn PEG. Kwart ta’ Mija is the republication of Alfred Sant’s short story collection which was published by PEG in 1995.	SKS Publishers	5,000

Translation and Export Grants Category 1: Grants for the Translation and Export of books by Maltese authors

Applikant Applicant	Proġett Project	Pubblikatur Publisher	Fond allokat € Funds allocated €
Sherif Bakr	It-traduzzjoni għall-Għarbi u l-pubblikazzjoni tal-ktieb Malti Papa Aħmed ta’ Joe Pace. Translating and publishing the Maltese title Papa Aħmed by Joe Pace into the Arabic language.	Al Arabi Publishing and Distributing	5,000
Dobromira Kirova	It-traduzzjoni għall-Bulgaru u l-pubblikazzjoni tal-ktieb Fiż-Żifna ta’ l-Ibliet ta’ Rena Balzan, bl-użu tal-Ingliż bħala l-lingwa pont. Translation into Bulgarian and publication of Rena Balzan’s book In Tune With City Life using English as a bridge language.	Aviana Publishing House	5,000
Sara Abdeen	L-għażla tal-ktieb ta’ David Aloisio Fis-sema hekkda fl-art għat-traduzzjoni hija msejsa fuq ir-rabta qawwija tiegħu mat-tradizzjonijiet letterarji Mediterranji u Għarab. The selection of David Aloisio’s Fis-sema hekkda fl-art for translation is rooted in its strong resonance with Mediterranean and Arab literary traditions.	Saray for Culture & Arts	3,575
Wael El Mulla	Dan il-proġett jipproponi l-ewwel traduzzjoni Għarbija ta’ Minn Xtut in-Nil, antoloġija ta’ novelli Maltin sinifikanti li jiddokumentaw l-esperjenzi mgħajxa tal-komunità Maltija-Eġizzjana. This project proposes the first Arabic translation of Minn Xtut In-Nil, a significant Maltese short story collection documenting the lived experiences of the Maltese-Egyptian community.	Masr El Arabia for Publishing and Distribution	5,000
Dobromira Kirova	It-traduzzjoni għall-Bulgaru u l-pubblikazzjoni tal-ktieb ta’ Lou Drofenik The Confectioner’s Daughter bl-użu tal-Ingliż bħala lingwa pont. Translation into Bulgarian and publication of Lou Drofenik’s book The Confectioner’s Daughter using English as a bridge language.	Aviana Publishing House	5,000
Adrian Stivala	It-traduzzjoni u l-pubblikazzjoni ta’ Eħlisna mid-Deni (Liberaci dal Male), it-tieni ktieb ta’ Karl Schembri ppubblikat minn Merlin Publishers f’Novembru 2025. The translation and publication of Eħlisna mid-Deni (Liberaci dal Male), Karl Schembri’s second novel published by Merlin Publishers in November 2025.	Bonfirraro Editore	5,000
Marco Galea	Dan il-proġett se jittraduċi, jippubblika, jiddistribwixxi u jippubbliċizza d-drammi Ippermettili Nitlaq u Mela Hawn Xi Manikomju? ta’ Alfred Buttigieg. This project will translate, publish, distribute and publicise the plays Ippermettili Nitlaq and Mela Hawn Xi Manikomju? by Alfred Buttigieg.	MİTOS BOYUT TEM YAYINCILIK	5,000
Dejan Matić	It-traduzzjoni tar-rumanz Filli Ma Tcun Xein, Filli Tithol fl’Esistenza ta’ Immanuel Mifsud għas-Serb, bl-użu tal-Ingliż bħala lingwa pont. Translating the novel Filli Ma Tcun Xein, Filli Tithol fl’Esistenza by Immanuel Mifsud into Serbian using English as a bridge language.	Treći Trg	5,000
Hugo Filipe Lopes	It-traduzzjoni tar-rumanz M ta’ David Hudson fil-Portugiż. The translation of David Hudson’s novel M into Portuguese.	Traça Edições	4,500
Julijana Velichovska Dimoska	It-traduzzjoni u l-pubblikazzjoni tar-rumanz Filli Ma Tcun Xein, Filli Tithol fl’Esistenza ta’ Immanuel Mifsud għall-Maċedonjan. Translation and publication of Immanuel Mifsud’s novel Filli Ma Tcun Xein, Filli Tithol fl’Esistenza (From Nothingness One is Thrown into Being) into Macedonian.	PNV Publikacii	3,401.06
Robert Morgan	It-traduzzjoni għall-Franċiż u l-pubblikazzjoni ta’ The Obscure minn BookLand Press għas-suq tal-Amerka ta’ Fuq. Translation into French and publication by BookLand Press of The Obscure for the North American market.	BookLand Press	3,401.06

Translation and Export Grants Category 2: Book Translation Pitch Grants (Sample translations)

Applikant Applicant	Proġett Project	Fond allokat € Funds allocated €
Ryan Falzon	Dan il-proġett jinvolvi t-traduzzjoni ta’ silta minn ktieb bħala pitch tar-rumanz SAJF ta’ Ryan Falzon minn Efstathia Paliotzika. The project entails a pitch translation of Ryan Falzon’s novel SAJF by Efstathia Paliotzika.	486.04
Karl Schembri	Dan il-proġett jiffinanzja traduzzjoni ta’ kampjun tar-rumanz ta’ Karl Schembri Eħlisna mid-Deni mill-Malti għall-Ingliż, sabiex tintuża bħala pitch għall-pubblikaturi Ingliżi u Amerikani. This project funds a sample translation of Karl Schembri’s novel Eħlisna mid-Deni from Maltese into English, to be used as a pitch to UK and US publishers.	490
Katryna Storace	Traduzzjoni ta’ kampjun għall-Ingliż ta’ silta minn Travi taċ-Ċedru Saqaf taċ-Ċipress ta’ Loranne Vella (Aphroconfuso, 2026). Sample translation into English of an extract from Travi taċ-Ċedru Saqaf taċ-Ċipress by Loranne Vella (Aphroconfuso, 2026).	500
Marlon Chircop	Traduzzjoni għall-Ingliż ta’ ‘Summertime Sadness’ mill-ġabra Is-Sajf Mhux għat-Tfal ta’ Lon Kirkop (tr. Kat Storace). English translation of ‘Summertime Sadness’, from the collection Is-Sajf Mhux għat-Tfal by Lon Kirkop (tr. Kat Storace).	274
Matthew Schembri	Traduzzjoni bħala pitch minn Kat Storace ta’ ‘Il-Missjoni tal-Mostru’ (’Ta’ Taħt Fuq’, #1) ta’ Matthew Schembri (ippubblikat minn Merlin Publishers, 2025). Pitch Translation by Kat Storace of ‘Il-Missjoni tal-Mostru’ (’Ta’ Taħt Fuq’, #1) (’The Monster’s Mission’ (‘Upside Down’, #1) by Matthew Schembri (published by Merlin Publishers, 2025).	500
David Aloisio	Traduzzjoni ta’ silta mir-rumanz Ġganti ta’ David Aloisio, rebbieħ tal-kategorija “Letteratura għaż-Żgħażagħ” fl-2023. Translation of an extract from the novel Ġganti by David Aloisio, winner of the category “Young Adult Literature” in 2023.	420
Claudia Gauci	Traduzzjoni ta’ kampjun mix-xogħol ta’ Claudia Gauci fil-ktieb Max-Xatt tat-Tamarisk. Sample translation from Claudia Gauci’s book Max-Xatt tat-Tamarisk.	500
Gabriel Schembri	It-traduzzjoni ta’ novella mill-ktieb Kafè Kolombja, Stejjer ta’ difetti sudamerikani, sabiex tintuża bħala pitch ma’ pubblikaturi barranin. Translation of a short story from the book, Kafè Kolombja, Stejjer ta’ difetti sudamerikani, to be used as a pitch to foreign publishers.	500

Grants for Translations into Maltese

Applikant Applicant	Proġett Project	Pubblikatur Publisher	Fond allokat € Funds allocated €
Joseph Borg	Dan il-proġett għandu l-għan li jippreżenta traduzzjoni Maltija tar-rumanz Sorgu Aħmar ta’ Mo Yan, wieħed mill-aktar awturi influwenti tal-letteratura Ċiniża kontemporanja u rebbieħ tal-Premju Nobel għal-Letteratura fl-2012. This project’s aim is to present a Maltese translation of the novel Red Sorghum by Mo Yan, one of the most influential authors of contemporary Chinese literature, and winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2012.	SKS Publishers	5,000
Kurstin Gatt	Malta through Arabic Eyes: Traduzzjoni Maltija ta’ ktieb tal-ivvjaġġar Tuneżin mhux ippubblikat mill-bidu tas-seklu 19. Malta through Arabic Eyes: A Maltese Translation of an Unpublished Early Nineteenth-century Tunisian Travelogue.	Midsea Books	5,000
David Bezzina	It-traduzzjoni ta’ Held, tal-awtriċi rinomata Anne Michaels, li kien finalist tal-Premju Booker fl-2023. The translation of Held by the world’s renowned Anne Michaels, shortlist finalist of the Booker Prize in 2023.	Horizons	5,000
David Bezzina	It-traduzzjoni ta’ Madame Bovary tal-awtur Franċiż Gustave Flaubert. The translation of Madame Bovary by French author Gustave Flaubert.	Horizons	5,000
Anthony Aquilina (Toni)	It-traduzzjoni mit-Taljan għall-Malti ta’ ‘I due miracoli’ e altri racconti sardi / ‘Iż-Żewġ Mirakli’ u Rakkonti Oħra Sardi ta’ Grazia Deledda. The translation of ‘I due miracoli’ e altri racconti sardi / ‘Iż-Żewġ Mirakli’ u Rakkonti Oħra Sardi by Grazia Deledda from Italian into Maltese.	Faraxa Publishing	5,000

Audiobook Publishing Grants

Applikant Applicant	Proġett Project	Pubblikatur Publisher	Fond allokat € Funds allocated €
Joanne Micallef	Back for You ta’ Casey Sacco huwa thriller għaż-żgħażagħ ippubblikat fl-2024, u wieħed mill-finalisti tal-Premju Terramaxka tal-Letteratura għaż-Żgħażagħ. Din il-proposta qed titlob il-fondi sabiex tiżviluppa u tippubblika verżjoni awdjo tar-rumanz, sabiex tespandi l-aċċessibbiltà tiegħu u l-udjenzi li jista’ jattira. Back for You by Casey Sacco is a young adult thriller published in 2024 and shortlisted for the Terramaxka Prize for Young Adult Literature. This proposal seeks funding to develop and publish an audiobook edition of the novel, expanding its accessibility and reach.	Faraxa Publishing	2,000

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The Results Of The Malta Book Fund 2026 Are Out

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