Radio Gornji grad (https://radiogornjigrad.blog/), the Cultural and Information Center Zagreb, and Suzana Matvejević, with the support of the City of Zagreb, the backing of PEN Croatia and the media patronage of Nacional magazine, announce the Predrag Matvejević Literary Award for 2026.
The award is given for a literary work of any genre: literary essays, short stories, poetry, drama, novels or hybrid forms, which, alongside undeniable literary quality, reflect the values of inclusivity, an open society, equality, genuine freedom of speech, and the broader humanistic values championed by Predrag Matvejević. Accordingly, metaphysical and ethical dimensions, as well as sociological or philological ones, will therefore better reflect the requirements of the competition than conventional genre formulas.
Eligible submissions include books published between 1 January 2025 and 1 July 2026, originally written in Croatian, Bosnian, Montenegrin or Serbian, as well as works translated into one of those languages if the author belongs to the Albanian, Macedonian or Slovenian linguistic area.
Four copies of the book should be sent by 15 July 2026 to:
Kulturno informativni centar (KIC) Preradovićeva 5
10000 Zagreb
Croatia
with the indication: “For the Predrag Matvejević Award”.
Submitted books will not be returned to the sender.
The results will be announced on 7 October 2026 on the Gornjogradski Festival and Cultural and Information Centre (KIC) websites, as well as on Suzana Matvejević's Facebook page. The award ceremony will take place on 30 October 2026 at the KIC in Zagreb.
This year's jury consists of Namik Kabil, writer and screenwriter, winner of the 2024 award; Srđan Gagić, poet and winner of the 2025 award; writer and critic Nataša Govedić, a member of PEN Croatia; Andrea Grgić, representative of KIC; and Suzana Matvejević.
The award consists of the statuette “Matvejević” by Belgrade sculptor Mrđan Bajić, and a cash prize of €2,500.
For further information, please contact Andrea Grgić at KIC or Suzana Matvejević via email at smatvejevic@gmail.com, with the subject line “for the P. Matvejević Award”.