Book Awards in Slovenia

VERONIKA AWARD  

The Veronika Award is an award for the best poetry collection published in the previous year given since 1997 by the Municipality of Celje. It is named after Veronika of Desenice, wife of Count Frederick II of Celje. The award ceremony takes place in Celje during a series of events called "Veronika's Evenings", where the Golden Coin of Poetry is also presented.

Year	Recipient	Title	Publisher
2022	Kristina Kočan	Selišča [Settlements]	Litera
2021	Tina Kozin	Nebo pod vodo [The Sky Underwater]	Litera
2020	Borut Gombač	S konico konice jezika [With the Tip of the Tip of the Tongue]	Književno društvo Hiša Poezije
2019	Alenka Jovanovski	Tisoč osemdeset stopinj [Thousand Eighty Degrees]	Center za slovensko književnost
2018	Tone Škrjanec	Dihaj [Breathe]	Center za slovensko književnost

JENKO AWARD

The Jenko Award is a literary award, awarded each year for the best poetry collection in Slovene published in the previous two years. It has been bestowed since 1986 by the Slovene Writers' Association (Društvo slovenskih pisateljev, DSP). It is named after the 19th-century Slovene poet Simon Jenko (1835–1869) and is one of the most prestigious literary prizes in Slovenia.

Year	Recipient	Title	Publisher
2022	Nataša Velikonja	Prostor sred križišč [A Place at the Crossroads]	ŠKUC
2021	Nina Dragičević	To telo, pokončno [This Body, Standing]	ŠKUC
2020	Brane Mozetič	Sanje v drugem jeziku [Dreams in Another Language]	ŠKUC
2019	Kaja Teržan	Krog [Circle]	Center za slovensko književnost
2018	Tone Škrjanec	Dihaj [Breathe]	Center za slovensko književnost

THE MARUŠA KRESE AWARD

The Novo Mesto Award is a literary award that was renamed to the Maruša Krese Award this year. It is given every year for the best short story collection issued in the previous year. The event is organised by the Goga publishing house in cooperation with the Slovenian Literary Critics Association. The nominees are presented at the annual three-day Novo Mesto Short festival, where the winner is announced on the last day.

Year	Recipient	Title	Publisher
2022	Franci Novak	Obvoz [Detour]	LUD literatura
2021	LUD literatura	Nezakonita melanholija [Unlawful Melancholy]	LUD Šerpa
2020	Sergej Curanović	Plavalec [The Swimmer]	Cankarjeva založba
2019	Vesna Lemaić	Dobrodošli [Welcome]	Cankarjeva založba
2018	Eva Markun	Menažerija [Menagerie]	JSKD

KRESNIK AWARD

The Kresnik prize is the highest award for the best Slovenian novel of the previous year and holds a special place in Slovenian literature. The prize, which is awarded by the media company Delo, was first bestowed in June 1991, the year of the birth of the Slovenian state. The award ceremony is also a summer cultural ritual, which takes place on Bonfire Night, on the 23rd of June.

Year	Recipient	Title	Publisher
2023	Lado Kralj	Ne bom se več drsal na bajerju [I Won't Be Ice Skating On the Pond Anymore]	Beletrina
2022	Roman Rozina	Sto let slepote [Hundred Years of Blindness]	Mladinska knjiga
2021	Borut Kraševec	Agni [Agni]	LUD Šerpa
2020	Veronika Simonit	Ivana pred morjem [Ivana in Front of the Sea]	Cankarjeva založba
2019	Bronja Žakelj	Belo se pere na devetdeset [Whites Wash at Ninety]	Beletrina
2018	Drago Jančar	In ljubezen tudi [And Love Itself]	Beletrina

CANKAR AWARD 

The Cankar Award, a tribute to the great Slovenian writer Ivan Cankar (1876–1918), is awarded annually for the best original literary work of the past year, published as an individual book in Slovenian language. The award-winning work can be from any area of Cankar’s creative opus (a poetry collection, a novel, a drama, a collection of short stories or essays). The award was established in September 2019 by the Slovenian PEN Centre, the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts (SAZU) and the University of Ljubljana.

Year	Recipient	Title	Publisher
2023	Mojca Kumerdej	Gluha soba [The Deaf Room]	Goga
2022	Simona Semenič	Tri igre za punce [Three Plays for Girls]	Beletrina
2021	Gašper Kralj	Škrbine [Stubs]	Založba /*cf
2020	Sebastijan Pregelj	V Elvisovi sobi [In Elvis's Room]	Goga

KRITIŠKO SITO AWARD 

The Kritiško sito is a literary prize awarded since 2012 by Slovene Literary Critics Association. It is the only prize awarded by literary critics for the best literary work by a Slovenian author in the previous year. The widest possible critical forum is involved in the selection of the winner, as all members of the Association have the opportunity to evaluate, and all books are included, regardless of genre or other criteria. Voting is done in two rounds, and the winning book is the one that receives the most votes.

Year	Recipient	Title	Publisher
2023	Ajda Bračič	Leteči ljudje [Flying People]	LUD Literatura
2022	Ana Marwan	Zabubljena [Cocooned]	Beletrina
2021	Muanis Sinanović	Krhke karavane [Fragile Caravans]	LUD Literatura
2020	Anja Golob	Da ne da ne bo več prišla … [That it won’t that it won't come …]	Self-published
2019	Jernej Županič	Mamuti [Mammoths]	LUD Literatura
2018	Milan Jesih	Maršal [Marshal]	Beletrina

ROŽANC AWARD 

The Rožanc Award is an award for the best collection of essays, which has been awarded since 1993. It was originally awarded by the Slovenian newspaper Dnevnik and the publishing house Mihelač. In 1998, the Marjan Rožanec Fund took over the organisation, funding, appointment and coordination of the jury. The Fund was established by Mihelač and Nova Revija publishing houses.

Year	Recipient	Title	Publisher
2023	Ivana Djilas	A si lahko vsaj enkrat tiho [Can You For Once Shut Up]	Goga
2022	Uroš Zupan	Znamenja v kroženju [Signs in Circling]	LUD Literatura
2021	Robert Simonišek	Pejsaži: sanjati na soncu [Landscapes – Dreaming in the Sun]	Družina
2020	Esad Babačić	Veš, mašina, svoj dolg [Machine, do You Know What You Owe]	Cankarjeva založba
2019	Marcel Štefančič, jr.	Ivan Cankar: eseji o največjem [Ivan Cankar: Essays About the Greatest]	UMco
2018	Jasmin B. Frelih	Bleda svoboda [Pale Freedom]	Cankarjeva založba

DESETNICA AWARD

The Desetnica Award is presented by the Children’s and Youth Literature Section at the Slovene Writers’ Association in Ljubljana for best children’s or young adult literary work. Only members of the Slovene Writers’ Association are eligible for this award, which is given annually for an author’s work published over the last three years.

Year	Recipient	Title	Publisher
2023	Andrej Predin	Arlan pod preprogo [Arlan Under the Carpet]	Morfemplus
2022	Mateja Gomboc	Balada o drevesu [The Ballad for the Tree]	Miš založba
2021	Damjan Šinigoj	Kjer veter spi [Where the Wind Sleeps]	Miš založba
2020	Jana Bauer	Ding dong zgodbe [Ding Dong Stories]	KUD Sodobnost International
2019	Andrej Rozman Roza	Pesmi iz galerije [Poems from the Gallery]	Narodna galerija

VEČERNICA AWARD

The Večernica Award is presented for the best new literary work for children or young adults published by a Slovene publishing house or author in the past year. The award has been presented every year since 1997. The ceremony takes place in September at the traditional meeting of Slovene authors of children’s and young adult literature Eye of the Word (Oko besede) in Murska Sobota.

Year	Recipient	Title	Publisher
2023	Špela Frlic	Bleščivka	Mladinska knjiga
2022	Maša Ogrizek	Lisičja luna [Fox Moon]	Miš založba
2021	Sebastijan Pregelj	Vrnitev (Zgodbe s konca kamene dobe, 6. del)	Miš založba
2020	Andrej Rozman - Roza	Rimuzine in črkolazen [Rhymosines and Letterscum]	Mladinska knjiga
2019	Andrej E. Skubic	Babi nima več telefona [Granny no Longer has a Phone]	Mladinska knjiga
2018	Anja Štefan	Drobtine iz mišje doline [Tunes from mousedale dunes]	Mladinska knjiga

GOLDEN PEAR AWARD

The Golden Pear Award is presented since 2010 by Pionirska - Centre for Children's Literature and Librarianship (Ljubljana City Library) within the national project Golden Pear, which strives to promote quality works of children’s and young adult literature in the Slovene book market. Pionirska gives the Golden Pear Rating to the finest works, published by Slovenian publishers in last year. All these books receive a Golden Pear Rating, the Golden Pear Award is given to the best Slovenian fiction book and to the best Slovenian non-fiction book.

Year	Recipient	Title	Publisher
2022	Mihael Glavan	Naš Jurčič [Our Jurčič]	Mestna knjižnica Grosuplje
2022	Vinko Möderndorfer	Romeo in Julija iz sosednje ulice [Romeo and Juliet from Next Door];	Miš založba
2021	Nataša Strlič, Damjan Stepančič	Osamosvojitev [Independence]	Miš založba
2021	Simona Semenič	Skrivno društvo KRVZ [Secret Society KRVZ]	Mladinska knjiga
2019	Feri Lainšček	Prvotnost: poema o ljubezni [Origins – A Poem About Love]	Mladinska knjiga
2018	Anja Štefan	Drobtine iz mišje doline [Tunes from mousedale dunes];	Mladinska knjiga
2018	Rada Kos	Iz lončka v lonec: naravno vrtnarjenje za male in velike vrtnarje ter odlični recepti iz domače kuhinje [From Pot to Pot: Natural Gardening for Small and Large Gardeners with Great Recipes from the Home Kitchen]	Allegro

KRISTINA BRENKOVA AWARD

The Kristina Brenkova Original Slovene Picture Book Award was founded by the Association for Press and Media at the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Slovenia. Its purpose is to promote creative Slovene picture books and at the same time contribute to an increased public interest in them. The award is aimed at Slovene picture book authors, illustrators and publishers.

Year	Recipient	Title	Publisher
2022	Jana Bauer, Peter Škerl	Kako objeti ježa [How to Hug a Hedgehog]	KUD Sodobnost International
2021	Nataša Strlič, Damijan Stepančič	Osamosvojitev [Independence]	Miš založba
2020	Peter Svetina, Igor Šinkovec	Timbuktu, Timbuktu [Timbuktu, Timbuktu]	Miš založba
2019	Andreja Peklar	Luna in jaz [Moon and me]	KUD Sodobnost International
2018	Ivan Cankar, Peter Škerl	Skodelica kave [A Cup of Coffee]	Miš založba

More information about the Awards at SLOVENIA: Its Publishing Landscape and Readership.