Skip to content

NATIONAL

BOOK PRIZE

The National Book Prize is the highest literary prize assigned to authors, editors, translators, publishers and illustrators for books published in Malta during the preceding year.

NATIONAL BOOK PRIZE 2025

The National Book Prize comprises 14 categories, which include Novels, Short Stories, Poetry, Drama, Non-Fiction, Prose Fiction in Translation, Research and Historiographic Research, and six categories of children’s books known as Terramaxka – the National Book Prize for Children and Young Adults – Picture books for children (ages 0–7), Children’s Literature (ages 8–12) and Young Adult Literature, as well as Picture books in Translation (ages 0-7), Children’s Literature in Translation (ages 8-12), and Young Adult Literature in Translation.

The shortlisted and the winning titles in all categories are selected by an independent board of adjudicators. The members of this board are to follow a set of criteria in their evaluation to ensure the highest degree of transparency and fairness.

Interested applicants can read the 2025 national book regulations & criteria. Proceed with your application by clicking on ‘apply now’ on your right.

Key dates

The shortlist will be announced on 26 August. Winners will be announced on 26 September.

HISTORY

The ‘Literary Prize’ was first set up in 1971 for books in Maltese published during the preceding year. The Government’s aim was to encourage Maltese literature and to reward the year’s best authors. The first winners were Anton Buttigieg with his poetry collection Fl-Arena and Francis Ebejer with Id-Drammi Vol. 2,  which contained his three major plays of the 1960s: 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 included Dr. A.V. Depasquale, Prof. Ġużè Aquilina, Prof. Ġużè Galea, Mr. Erin Serracino Inglott and Mr. Charles Coleiro.

Over the years, the Prize has undergone several changes, including adjustments to its name, structure, types of categories and prize allocations. Notably, the Prize was not held between 1983 and 1987 due to a lack of funding not held due to lack of funding, but it was reinstated in 1988 and has been awarded annually since.

A major milestone came in 2001 with the formation of the National Book Council, which took over the administration of the Prize alongside the National Book Fair. In 2005, the Prize was officially rebranded as the ‘National Book Prize’, while the Fair was rebranded as the ‘Malta Book Festival’ in 2014.

Since then, the National Book Council has continuously refined the Prize regulations, categories and adjudication process to maintain professional and transparent standards. Special thanks to Victor Fenech and Joe Debattista, original NBC members, for starting the compilation of this list, which continues to be updated to reflect the Prize’s evolving history and is the foundation for a detailed Wikipedia page.

Today, the National Book Prize is Malta’s highest literary award, recognizing excellence across various categories, including fiction, non-fiction, research, poetry, drama, children’s literature and translation. The Prize not only celebrates literary achievement but also plays a crucial role in promoting Maltese literature both locally and internationally.

The National Book Prize remains a cornerstone of Malta’s literary and cultural landscape, highlighting the achievements of authors, publishers, translators, and illustrators who have contributed to the country’s literary heritage.

previous WINNERS 1971 - PRESENT

NEED ANY HELP?

GET IN TOUCH

This site is registered on wpml.org as a development site. Switch to a production site key to remove this banner.