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The results of the Malta Book Fund 2025 are out

News • Funds • Malta Book Fund
15th July, 2025
Image of The results of the Malta Book Fund 2025 are out

The National Book Council is pleased to announce that the Malta Book Fund 2025 adjudication board has agreed on the winning submissions for this year’s edition. 31 projects will be receiving funding for publication or translation through the Malta Book Fund. 

Together with an increase in the overall budget allocation, a number of key innovations were introduced this year. Notably, the Fund has now gone fully online in a bid to streamline the overall process, with revised guidelines to ensure clarity and efficiency. 

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 2025 Adjudication Board was composed of Nikki Petroni, Kurstin Gatt, Francine Farrugia and Daniel Xerri, who independently assessed each submission. 

The adjudicators expressed optimism about the quality of submissions across various strands, describing the overall picture as “one of promise and creative energy” which confirms a “robust demand for support in literary and cultural production”. 

“Many projects demonstrated thoughtful engagement with their subject matter and a commitment to enriching public understanding through both creative and scholarly approaches,” they said, adding that an encouraging number of submissions in the research and non-fiction strands sought to highlight oft-neglected aspects of Maltese historiography, while creative projects distinguished themselves for their experimentation with genre and medium. 

“Such innovation signals a growing confidence in pushing beyond conventional publishing formats,” the adjudicators said, while also noting some shortcomings throughout. These include a substantial number of incomplete proposals, and applications submitted with vague budgeting plans, which put into question the feasibility of the projects. Notably, many submissions also lacked a clear marketing plan, which the adjudicators found particularly problematic given the reality of a declining readership in the country, which necessitates a greater promotional push in order for new books to gain traction. 

By the application period deadline on 20 May, the 2025 Malta Book Fund received a total of 72 submissions across all strands of the Fund. The budget for the 2025 edition was €135,000, as follows:

  1. €55,000 for Publishing Grants for New Books;
  2. €10,000 for Publishing Grants for New Editions of Out-of-Print Works;
  3. €45,000 for Grants for the Translation and Export of books by Maltese authors;
  4. €5,000 for Book Translation Pitch Grants;
  5. €20,000 for Grants for Translations into Maltese.

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

Applicant ProjectPublisherFunds allocated €
Charles Paul Azzopardi‘Shadows and Light - The First Century of Maltese Photography (1839-1939)’. This book explores the history of photography in Malta from its inception in the mid-nineteenth century to the onset of the Second World War.Midsea Books5,000
Luke Saydon‘Il-Każin tal-Imqarbin’ - The publication of the new LGBTIQ+ musical, the only musical ever written in Malta which documents the first cases of AIDS in Malta. It celebrates the secret voices of those lost to this virus.Self-published4,944
Matthew Stroud‘Bertha Ilg’s Maltese Folktale Letters’ - This project aims to translate into Maltese and publish the 152 Maltese folktales that were found in these letters. This will increase Malta’s folktale database by twofold, significantly and permanently enriching our understanding of Maltese culture and folklore.Midsea Books5,000
Paul P. Borg‘Dubbiena Kukkużejt’ - The publication of the play Dubbiena Kukkużejt, which delves into the personal choices of sexuality, the ugliness of paedophilia, and the effects these leave upon life.Self-published4,076.77
Simone Spiteri‘Ineż Kienet Perf(etta)/ Era Perf(etta)/ Was Perf(ect)’ - A trilingual publication that reimagines the Maltese classic Ineż Farruġ, written by Simone Spiteri, translated into Italian by Virginia Monteforte and into English by the author.Kotba Calleja5,000
Miriam Galea'Ġewwieni’ - A graphic novel for adults, combining a poetic text with a series of mixed media artworks. The book explores the theme of motherhood, childbirth and the female body, likening this process to an author’s externalisation of the interior.Kotba Calleja3,663.02
Virginia Monteforte‘Il-memorja tal-ilma - La memoria dell’acqua’ - A poetry collection written in Italian about water and memory, with a parallel text in Maltese translated by Clare Azzopardi.Kotba Calleja4,933
Gordon Pisani'Ad Ægiptum: men, women, children, families in Egypt from Malta 1880s-1956’ - This book aims to study, analyse and narrate the circumstances that the Maltese diaspora lived through in Egypt during the period of Britain’s ‘informal empire’ in the country.Kite Group5,000
Mario Joseph Ciancio‘The Ciancio Photographers’ - This book offers an in-depth exploration of the iconic Ciancio photographers, tracing their journey from their humble beginnings to becoming a fully professional outfit spanning four generations.Self-published5,000
Leanne Ellul‘Hunch - Kif ma tqumx għal oħra’ - A poetic book which combines different genres (the diary, lists, poetry, and letters). In essence, all the texts are poetic and inspired by the life of an uncle referred to as Hunch in this book.Merlin Publishers5,000
Anthony Attard‘UdjenzaX5’ - Udjenza is publishing its first collection of plays, featuring works by Maltese playwrights Simon Bartolo, Herman Grech, Andre Mangion, and Marta Vella, as well as works translated by Clare Azzopardi. This anthology explores themes of identity, society, and human connection.Self-published5,000
Joe Gatt‘Qalb ta’ Dinja Bla Qalb’ - A book by Joe Gatt which reimagines the national paegant in Malta during the 20 century. The novel is dominated by the two foremost voices of this century, Dom Mintoff and Mikiel Gonzi, who speak not in their name but in the name of “the people”.Aphroconfuso5,000
Charles Xuereb‘Antistorja tal-Maltin’ - This book critically analyses Malta’s history in an alternative way (known as ‘contre histoire’) from the times of the pre-Neolithic. Scientifically researched, the book aims to stir a discussion on the various cultural aspects of the Maltese people, steering away from the presentation of mere facts.Midsea Books4,785

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

Applicant ProjectPublisherFunds allocated €
Joseph Borg / L-Akkademja tal-MaltiIs-Saħħar Falzun by Agostino Levanzin. The last edition of this novel was printed in 1991.Klabb Kotba Maltin5,000
Joseph BorgA collection of short stories published only once in 1967 by the newspaper It-Torċa. SKS Publishers5,000

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

Applicant ProjectPublisherFunds allocated €
Loranne VellaThe translation and publication of Loranne Vella’s novel Marta Marta into Italian by Virginia Monteforte.Prospero Editore5,000.0
Breda BiščakThe translation and publication of Clare Azzopardi’s novel Castillo into Slovene.LUD Literatura3,675.0
Dejan MaticThe translation and publication of Immanuel Mifsud’s poetry collection Għażiż Ġismi into Serbian using English as a bridge language.Treći Trg5,000.0
Leanne EllulThe translation and publication of The White Poems by Leanne Ellul into Arabic.Sefsafa for Culture and Publishing5,000.0
Ahmed AnisThe translation and publication of Pierre J. Mejlak’s short story collection Dak li l-Lejl Iħallik Tgħid into Arabic.Hayat Publishing4,500.0
Julijana Velichkovska DimoskaThe translation and publication of Immanuel Mifsud’s novel Jutta Heim into Macedonian.PNV Publikacii4,754.0
Hrant AleksanyanThe translation and publication of Clare Azzopardi’s novel The Names They Left Behind into Armenian.Vogi-Nairi5,000.0
Nikolaos BinosThe translation and publication of Loranne Vella’s short story collection What will it take for me to leave into Greek.World Books3,000.0
Urara SassaThe translation and publication of Loranne Vella’s short story collection What will it take for me to leave by Loranne Vella into Japanese.Nanpou Shinsha5,000.0

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

Applicant ProjectFunds allocated €
Tyrone GrimaTranslation of an excerpt from the novel Frammenti to be used as a pitch.455.95
Joe GattTranslation of an excerpt of 3,500 words from Romeo Roxman Gatt’s novel Qarn to be used as a pitch.500

Grants for Translations into Maltese

Applicant ProjectPublisherFunds allocated €
Toni AquilinaThe translation and publication in Maltese of Albert Camus’s tragedy in five acts Les Justes (Il-Ġusti).Faraxa Publishing5,000.0
Dr. Adrian StivalaThe translation and publication in Maltese of Umberto Eco’s novel Il Nome della Rosa.Klabb Kotba Maltin5,000.0
Matthew StroudThe translation and publication of 139 folktales from German into Maltese.Klabb Kotba Maltin5,000.0
Joanne MicallefThe translation and publication into Maltese of Liu Cixin’s novel The Dark Forest (‘Il-Masġar Mudlam’).Faraxa Publishing5,000.0
David BezzinaThe translation and publication into Maltese of Iris Wolff’s novel Lichtungen (Glimmer of Light).Horizons1,856.0

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