The National Book Council is pleased to announce that the Malta Book Fund 2024 adjudication board has agreed on the winning submissions for this yearโ€™s edition. 31 projects will be receiving funding for publication or translation through the Malta Book Fund.

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

In the 2024 edition structural changes were effected, namely in the translation strands, which now reflect better the export element in them.

The Malta Book Fund 2024 Adjudication Board was comprised of Conrad Thake, Aaron Aquilina, Karsten Xuereb and Caldon Mercieca, who independently assessed each submission.

The adjudicators noted that, as a rule, the eligible applications were supported by the by the required documents as specified in the regulations. However, they pointed out that applications with missing or absent key documents received lower marks or were deemed ineligible.

They also commended those applicants who provided rigorous detail in their application. However, they noted that some applicants lacked awareness of other contemporary works investigating similar areas or themes and motifs for fiction projects. The adjudicators interpreted this as a lack of knowledge of the local market on the part of some applicants.

Most importantly, the judges emphasised that applicants must engage proofreaders and editors for their projects. They stressed that a project lacking quotes for these services is likely to result in a poor publication.

By the application period deadline on 24 May, the 2024 Malta Book Fund received a total of 88 submissions across all strands of the Fund. The budget for the 2024 edition was โ‚ฌ120,000, as follows:

  1. โ‚ฌ50,000 for Publishing Grants for New Books;
  2. โ‚ฌ10,000 for Publishing Grants for New Editions of Out-of-Print Works;
  3. โ‚ฌ40,000 for Grants for the Translation and Export of books by Maltese authors;
  4. โ‚ฌ5,000 for Book Translation Pitch Grants
  5. โ‚ฌ15,000 for Grants for Translations into Maltese

All grants awarded may support up to 100% of the proposed project up to a maximum of โ‚ฌ5,000 for all grants except the Book Translation Pitch Grants, which may support up to a maximum of โ‚ฌ500 per proposal. To ensure that the Malta Book Fund can support as many worthy projects as possible and be fully utilised, the National Book Council reserves the right to repurpose unused grants from one category to the other.

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.

The NBC will contact the winning applicants to sign a beneficiaryโ€™s contract, which allows a 24-month period from the date of signing to publish the book.

List of all projects awarded underneath:

Publishing Grants for New Books

Applikant
Applicant
It-titlu tal-proฤกett
Project title
Pubblikatur
Publisher
Fond allokat โ‚ฌ
Funds allocated โ‚ฌ
Omar N'SheaPubblikazzjoni tal-ktieb ta' letteratura mhux fittizja bl-isem โ€˜Bur Mgฤงeลผโ€™. Aphroconfuso5,000
Norbert Francis Attard (Norbert Francis Attard Foundation)โ€˜Phase and Occasionโ€™ - an anthology of 31 Maltese and international poets, sensitively illustrated with the work of Norbert Francis Attard, introduced by Ivan Callus and edited by Antoine Cassar. The book seeks to educate readers about modern and contemporary poetry and the visual artsNorbert Francis Attard Foundation5,000
Joseph Borgโ€˜Fl-akbar Qilla: Il-Poeลผiji ta' ฤ uลผรจ Orlandoโ€™. Edizzjoni kritika ta' aktar minn 150 poeลผija miktubin minn Orlando bejn l-1919 u l-1940SKS Publishers5,000
Mark Camilleri (Dar Camilleri)โ€˜Latest Studies on Medieval Maltaโ€™. This is a collection of papers that will include the latest research on Medieval Malta by various authors.Dar Camilleri5,000
David Grechโ€˜Forty-six Feet Short: The Tragic End of Vulcan Bomber XM645 and the Aftermathโ€™. The project concerns the crash of RAF Vulcan Bomber XM645 at ลปabbar on 14 Ovtober 1975. Based on research and interviews, it describes the historical background surrounding the story, what led to the accident, the investigation, and the aftermathHorizons3,936
Mark Amaira โ€˜Tikka Malti Kuljumโ€™Awtoppubblikat5,000
Joe Gatt, Loranne Vella (Aphroconfuso)*Il-pubblikazzkoni ta' โ€˜Antoloฤกija 1โ€™ ta' Aphroconfuso li se tinkludi 35 kitba minn 21 awtur differenti, fosthom novelli, poeลผiji, monologi, esejs, reฤ‹ensjonijiet u djarji.Aphroconfuso5,000
Carmel Cassarโ€˜Malta and Holy War: Religion, Society and the Spanish-Ottoman conflict for the Mediterraneanโ€™ Kite Group5,000
Christopher GruppettaPubblikazzjoni ta' ebook bi spunti dwar il-kitba kreattiva u t-tฤงejjija ta' manuskritti gฤงall-pubblikazzjoniMerlin Publishers Limited4,000
Jean Paul Borg (Inizjamed)โ€˜U Niftakar: ฤฆamsa u Gฤงoxrin Sena ta' Inizjamedโ€™. Ktieb ta' esejs li jfakkar il-mixja ta' waฤงda mill-gฤงaqdiet letterarji volontarji ewleninInizjamed5,000
Alfred E. Baldacchinoโ€˜Siฤกar Maltin tan-Nixxigฤงatโ€™ jiฤกbor fih tagฤงrif fuq il-ฤงajja tas-siฤกar u l-ambjent naturali tagฤงhom; kif dawn jistgฤงu jitnisslu u saฤงansitra kif jistgฤงu jintuลผaw fit-tisbiฤง tal-art.Midsea Books Ltd2,800

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

Applikant
Applicant
It-titlu tal-proฤกett
Project title
Pubblikatur
Publisher
Fond allokat โ‚ฌ
Funds allocated โ‚ฌ
Joseph BorgEdizzjoni ฤกdida ta' tliet rumanzi polizjeski ta' pawlu Xuereb: Is-Serqa ta' Nicola Cottoner, Qtil f'San Pawl il-Baฤงar, Il-Kaลผ tat-Tfajla MaฤงruqaSKS Publishers5,000
Anthea Enriquez (L-Gฤงaqda tal-Malti/ KKM)Tliet Nisa u Raฤกel. Dan il-proฤกett beฤงsiebu jippubblika mill-ฤกdid ix-xogฤงol letterarju stmat u magฤงruf tal-awtur rispettat Albert CassolaMidsea Books Ltd5, 000

Translation and Export Grants, Cat 1: Grants for the Translation and Export of books by Maltese Authors

Applikant
Applicant
It-titlu tal-proฤกett
Project title
Pubblikatur
Publisher
Fond allokat โ‚ฌ
Funds allocated โ‚ฌ
Emuse Books (Mariagrazia Dell'Oro)โ€˜Connecting the Mediterraneanโ€™. Italian translation of Fid-Dlam tal-Lejl ฤฆarisna by Immanuel Mifsud. Translation, publication and distribution of Mifsud's work for the Italian book marketEmuse Books4,186.60
Dejan Matiฤ‡ (Treฤ‡i Trg)Translating a novel Fid-dlam tal-Lejl ฤฆarisna by Immanuel Mifsud into Serbian using English translation as a bridge language.Treฤ‡i Trg5,000
Axis Yayinlari (Axis Publishing House) (ฤบzzet ลzgลฑr ลgลฑtcen)Turkish translation of Immanuel Mifsud's novel Jutta Heim.Axis Yayinlari (Axis Publishing House) 5,000
Azam Dauti (Shkupi Publishing House)Translation of What Will It Take for Me to Leave by Loranne Vella into Albanian.Shkupi Publishing House2,350
Gezim TafaTranslation into Albanian and publication of Charles Casha's book A Book for Amy using English as a bridge translation.Ombra GVG Publishing House5,000
Salvo Bonfirraro (Casa Editrice Bose Giesse [imprint: Bonfirraro Editore])Translation into Italian and publication of Immanuel Mifsud's book In the Name of the Father (and of the Son)Bonfirraro Editore5,000
Julijana Velichkovska Dimonska Translating the novel Sleep Now, O Sleep Now by Immanuel Mifsud from English into the Macedonian language.PHV Publikacii DOOEL Skopje4,829
Mariyka ProdanovaTranslation into Bulgarian and publication of Rena Balzan's book Bonds in the Mirror of Time using English as a bridge translationAviana EOOD5,000
Kalliopi MavreaTranslation of Jutta Heim by Immanuel Mifsud into Greek using English as a bridge translationWorld Books3,000

Translation and Export Grants, Cat 2: Book Translation Pitch Grants

Applikant
Applicant
It-titlu tal-proฤกett
Project title
Fond allokat โ‚ฌ
Funds allocated โ‚ฌ
Ryan FalzonDan il-proฤกett gฤงandu l-gฤงan li silta' minn Sajf ta' Ryan Falzon tiฤกi tradotta gฤงall-Ingliลผ488
Claudia GauciMax-Xatt tat-Tamarisk. Din hija ฤกabra oriฤกinali bil-Malti ta' poeลผiji ppubblikati gฤงall-ewwel darba fl-2022, bl-gฤงajnuna tal-KNK, minn Kotba Calleja. 500
Matthew SchembriStessi by Matthew Schembri (translator Kat Storace)500
Glen CallejaTita Tmiss l-Art150
Rita SalibaTbajja' Tax-Xemx u Stejjer Oฤงra gฤงad-Dell: ฤ abra ta' 100 storja tal-ฤกeneru flash fiction, b'temi varji.500

Grants for Translations into Maltese

Applikant
Applicant
It-titlu tal-proฤกett
Project title
Pubblikatur
Publisher
Fond allokat โ‚ฌ
Funds allocated โ‚ฌ
Mark VellaTraduzzjoni mit-Taljan gฤงall-Malti ta' Rocchesante ta' Irene ChiasMidsea Books Ltd5,000
Sergio Portelliโ€˜Stejjer mill-Uลผbekistanโ€™ - ฤกabra ta' 10 novelli mil-letteratura Uลผbeka maqluba gฤงall-Malti mill-Ingliลผ.Kite Group5,000
Christopher GruppettaTraduzzjoni gฤงall-Malti ta' Fame d'Aria ta' Daniele MencarelliMerlin Publishers Limited4,960
Joseph Pulรจโ€˜Nanaโ€™ - it-traduzzjoni mill-Franฤ‹iลผ u l-pubblikazzjoni tar-rumanz Nana ta' ร‰mile ZolaFaraxa Publishing2,800

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