The Literary Prize was first set up in 1971 for books in Maltese published during the preceding year. Government’s aim was to encourage Maltese literature and to reward the year’s best authors. The first winners were Anton Buttiġieġ with his poetry collection Fl-Arena and Francis Ebejer with Id-Drammi Vol. 2 which contained his three major plays of the sixties: ‘Vaganzi tas-Sajf’, ‘Boulevard’ and ‘Menz’. Back then, each author was awarded the sum of Lm80. A total of twelve books participated in the first ever literary prize and the jury was composed of Dr. A.V. Depasquale, Prof. Ġużè Aquilina, Prof. Ġużè Galea, Mr. Erin Serracino Inglott and Mr. Charles Coleiro.

Fast forward to this day and it is safe to say that what we now refer to as the National Book Prize has undergone as many changes in its name, structure, prize allocation and venue as it has awarded deserving authors. 1982 marked a break in the history of the Literary Prize when the prize was suspended due to a lack of funds and it was reinstated again in 1988 to award books published throughout 1987.

With the formation of the National Book Council in 2001, the organisation of the Prize passed completely into the Council’s hands and since then collaborative efforts have been made to continuously review the prize regulations, remits, categories and adjudication process to ensure a most professional and transparent result.

The current Book Council is prioritizing data collection more than ever before and today it is presenting a definitive list of all prize winners since the Prize’s inception to further substantiate its commitment to the cause. Special thanks goes to Mr. Victor Fenech and Mr. Joe Debattista for helping with back-dating and research as well as their marked dedication to Malta’s literary scene.