The National Book Council is announcing the shortlist for the 2023 National Book Prize and Terramaxka Prize, for books published in 2022. This is the 46th edition of the National Book Prize, the highest literary prize assigned to authors, editors, translators, publishers and illustrators of books published in Malta.
The 62 finalists making the 2023 National Book Prize shortlist have been unanimously selected by an independent panel of adjudicators according to a set of established criteria; 36 books have been shortlisted across the eight National Book Prize categories, and 26 books for children and young adults have been shortlisted in the six Terramaxka Prize categories. The titles were published by 13 different publishers and authored by 54 different authors and translators. Ten different illustrators contributed with their illustrations in books shortlisted in the Terramaxka Prize categories.
The categories of the National Book Prize for adults are Novels, Short Stories, Poetry, Drama, Literary Non-Fiction, Translation, General Research, and Biographical and Historiographic Research. The categories in the Terramaxka Prize are Original Works for Children ages 0–7, 8–12 and Young Adult Literature, books in Translation for Children ages 0–7 and 8–12, and Young Adult Literature in Translation.
Of this year’s shortlist, adjudicators praised the extremely high level of the publications across all categories. The eclectic list presents books by first-time finalists and established voices, including 15 writers and 4 translators who have previously received the National Book Prize; this year’s shortlist features new works by Loranne Vella, Paul P. Borg, Alfred Sant, Gioele Galea and Clare Azzopardi.
The adjudication process for the 2023 National Book Prize was launched in March 2023 with the publication of the longlist. By March 7, 2023, publishers and authors had submitted a total of 161 longlisted and eligible books to be considered for the current edition of the National Book Prize. The winners in each category of the National Book Prize and the Terramaxka Prize will be announced during an award-giving ceremony on November 24, 2023.
All of the National Book Prize shortlisted books are available in local bookstores and online shops and will be available at the upcoming 2023 Malta Book Festival (18–22 October) to be held at the Malta Fairs & Conventions Centre (MFCC), Ta’ Qali.
For further news about the 2023 National Book Prize and all other National Book Council initiatives, follow us on Facebook or visit ktieb.org.mt.