Festival, Funds and Strategic Developments in 2026: Key Dates  

On 24 January, the National Book Council (NBC) held its Annual Consultation Meeting for authors and publishers, during which it presented key updates and developments relevant to its work in 2026. These include its staple events and initiatives such as the National Book Prize, the Malta Book Festival and the Malta Book Fund. 

As detailed further below, the Malta Book Fund will this year be operating with an increase of €19,000, which will be spread out across existing strands as well as a newly added category: E-books and Audiobook Adaptations of Printed Books. Meanwhile, the National Book Prize will this year enjoy a €20,000 boost in its total budget, with the Best Book Production category now accommodating three sub-categories, with requirements amended to allow works originally released online, but subsequently published in book form in 2025, to be eligible for the prize. More information on the Prize will be released in the coming days, upon the opening of the call for submissions. 

Importantly, 2026 will also be the year where the fruits of the NBC’s Five-Year Strategic Vision, unveiled last year, will begin to come to fruition. Most notably, the NBC is proud to announce that a Paper Subsidy for Printed Books will be open for applications later this year. Implemented with the aim to alleviate unprecedented pressures faced by publishers in the wake of disruptions caused by the war in Ukraine, the subsidy will provide a much-needed pillar of support to the local book industry. 

Another strategic deliverable earmarked for this year will be the Annual Book Conference – organised and hosted by the NBC with the aim of fostering critical discussion on the book industry and cultural policy. The inaugural edition of the conference – taking place on 8 May at DoubleTree by Hilton, Qawra – will focus on ‘The Economy and the Book’, and examine how publishing, bookselling, and reading cultures function within micro-economies. 

Please find the full calendar of activities below. Download it as a PDF here. 

National Book Prize 

• Call for Submissions: 3 February to 20 February 2026
• List of Submissions Announced: 27 March 2026
• Shortlist Announced: 25 August 2026
• Award Ceremony: 17 September 2026

At a Glance:

• 8 Prizes to books for adults, 6 prizes to books for children and young adults
  
  Prizes:

1. €4,000 for original works 
2. €2,000 for translated works (books for children and young adults only)
3. €4,000 for special prizes 
4. €1,000 for publishers of winning works 

• Independent board of adjudicators (€1,500 + VAT for each adjudicator, 9 in total)

Contact:
Ivania Attard – ivania.attard@gov.mt 
Matthew Borg – matthew.borg@ktieb.org.mt 

Malta Book Festival 

• Date:         4–8 November 2026
• Call for Applications: 14 April until 5 May 2026 (For both exhibitors and non-exhibitors)

Contact:
Mark Camilleri – mark.camilleri.5@gov.mt – Logistics and Operations
Celine Portelli – celine.portelli.2@gov.mt – Applications and Exhibitors
Sandra Hili Vassallo – sandra.hili-vassallo.1@gov.mt – Events

Malta Book Fund

• Call for Applicatons:   17 March until 19 May 2026
• Results Announced:   17 July 2026

At a Glance:

• Budget: €159,000
• Grant Budget: €500–€5,000
• Allocation of Funds:

1. €55,000 – Publishing Grants for New Books
2. €10,000 – Publishing Grants for New Editions of Out-of-Print Works
3. €50,000 – Grants for the Translation and Export of books by Maltese authors (Category 1)
4. €5,000 – Book Translation Pitch Grants (Category 2)
5. €25,000 – Grants for Translations into Maltese
6. €9,000 – E-books and Audiobook Adaptations of Printed Books

• Independent board of adjudicators (€25 for each application + VAT for each adjudicator, 4 in total)

Contact: Matthew Borg – matthew.borg@ktieb.org.mt 

London Book Fair

• Date: 10-12 March 2026

At a Glance:

• Promoting Maltese literature and the Malta Book Fund through the Foreign Rights Catalogue.
• Holding meetings with publishers, literary agents and international cultural institutes.
• Organising a seminar on Maltese literature and the local publishing scene. 

Contact:
Mark Camilleri – mark.camilleri.5@gov.mt – 27112104
Ivania Attard – ivania.attard@gov.mt – 27131574

The Novels for Youth Literary Contest

Ceremony for the 2025 edition: 13 January 2026 

At a Glance:

• Independent board of adjudicators (€400 + VAT for each adjudicator, 3 in total)

Contact: Matthew Borg – matthew.borg@ktieb.org.mt – 27131574

Doreen Micallef National Poetry Contest 

• Call for Submissions: 12 May-14 July 2026
• Ceremony: 8 November 2026 (during the Malta Book Festival)

At a Glance:

• Prizes:

7. €1,000 First Prize 
8. €500 Second Prize
9. €200 Third Prize 

• Poems submitted anonymously
• Independent board of adjudicators (€300 + VAT for each adjudicator, 3 in total)

Contact: Andrew Ricca – andrew.ricca@ktieb.org.mt 

Paper Subsidy for Printed Books

• Date: 1 April 2026 onwards

At a Glance:

• Annual Budget: €50,000
• Open to all publishers who released printed books between 1 January 2026 to 15 December 2026. 
• Applications to be submitted via Submittable. 

Contact: Matthew Borg – matthew.borg@ktieb.org.mt – 27131574

Annual Book Conference 

• Date: 8 May 2026 (09:00-17:00)
• Venue: Oracle Conference Centre – DoubleTree by Hilton, Qawra
• Applications: 17 February -2 April 2026

At a Glance:

• Applications open to all industry stakeholders.  
• Registration via Submittable against a €30 fee, which includes participation, parking and refreshments. 
• Full programme will be announced on 17 February. 

Contact:
Celine Portelli – celine.portelli.2@gov.mt – 27131574
Sandra Hili Vassallo – sandra.hili-vassallo.1@gov.mt – 27131574

Public Lending Rights

• Applications: All year round (via Submittable)

At a Glance:

• Annual Budget: €80,000
• Maximum Yearly Payment: €5,000 for each author
• Payment to authors, co-authors, illustrators, photographers, and publishers based on statistics of loans from public, central, and regional libraries.

Contact: Michael Mercieca – michael.mercieca@gov.mt 

ISBN and ISMN

• Applications: All year round (via ktieb.org.mt) 

At a Glance:

• Allocation of ISBNs and ISMNs for Maltese publications. 

Contact: Michael Mercieca – michael.mercieca@gov.mt