The Ministry of Culture announces the State Prizes for Literature, Literary Translation and Children’s Book for the year 2023 (for the 2022 editions).

The State Literary Awards, an institution of prestige and substance in the field of Letters, constitute the State’s practical recognition of the work and contribution of authors and aim at the promotion and dissemination of Greek writing and thought and the support of Greek book production.

In detail, the following are announced today:

Ι. 2023 STATE PRIZES FOR LITERATURE

Α. The Grand Prize for Letters is awarded to Rhea Galanaki for her overall contribution to Letters.

Β. The 2023 State Novel Prize is unanimously awarded to Ismene Karyotaki, for her work I was not a fugitive, Potamos Publications.

C. The 2023 State Prize for Short Story is awarded by majority vote to Vangelis Hatzigiannidis, for his work Your Name, published by To Rodakio.

D. The 2023 State Poetry Prize is unanimously awarded to Stavros Zafeiriou, for his work Green Sky, Blue Grass, Nefeli Publications.

Ε. The 2023 State Essay-Criticism Prize is awarded by a majority to Christos Loukos for his work Ermoupolis of Syros (1821-1950). From Liverpool of the Eastern Mediterranean to the cotton town of the Cyclades, Crete University press.

F. The 2023 State Prize for Testimony-Biography-Chronicle-Travel Literature is awarded by majority vote to Spyros Papaioannou – Kostas Vlisidis for their work The horrible mosque of sin (Part A: The brothel of Vourla, Drapetsona through written sources, Part B: Tracing Vourla, Drapetsona), published by the Institute for the Study of Local History and Business History.

G. The 2023 State Prize for a Promising Author is awarded by a majority to Aris Alexandris, for his work How Ignatius Karathodoris lost everything, Metaixmio Publications.

–The 2023 Special State Award for a book that significantly promotes dialogue on sensitive social issues, is unanimously awarded to Yannis Paschos, for his work The Chronicle of a Dyslexic, Perispomeni Publications.

Finally, the Committee decided by majority vote to award an honorary distinction to the literary magazine Koralli.

The work of the author Rhea Galanaki is honoured with the Grand Prize of Letters

ΙΙ. 2023 LITERARY TRANSLATION PRIZES

A) The 2023 State Prize for the Translation of Foreign Literature into Greek is unanimously awarded equally to Myrto Kalofolia, for the translation of Anthony Doerr’s Cloud Cuckoo Land, Patakis Publications, and Sotiris Souliotis, for the translation of Jon Fosse’s The Other Name, Gutenberg Publications.

B) The 2023 State Prize for the Translation of Ancient Greek Literature into Modern Greek is unanimously awarded equally to Pavlos Kalligas, for the translation of Plato’s Parmenides, Stigmi Publications, and to Theodoros K. Stephanopoulos, for the translation of Heroda’s Mimiambs, Kichli Publications.

C) The 2023 State Prize for the Translation of a Work in Greek into a Foreign Language is unanimously awarded to Jean-Marc Laborie, for the translation of the work of Christoforos Milionis Kalamás ki Achéron into French [Christoforos Milionis Kalamás et Achéron, L’Harmattan], and to Riikka Pulkkinen, for translating an anthology of contemporary Greek poets into Finnish [Aurinkokello: Nykykreikkalaisia, Enostone Kustannus].

ΙΙI.   2023 STATE PRIZES FOR CHILDRENS’ BOOK

Α. The 2023 State Prize for Children’s Literary Book is awarded by a majority to Kyriakos Haritos for the work entitled Imagine, (illustrated by Daniella Stamatiadis), Metaixmio Publications.

Β. The 2023 State Prize for Young Teenagers’ Literary Book is awarded by a majority to Thodoris Koukias for his work entitled Square Waves, Flying Jellyfish, Kedros Publications.

Γ. The 2023 State Prize for Illustrated Children’s Book is awarded by a majority to the illustrator Chryso Charalambous and the author Danae Daska for the work entitled 1000 ways to squeeze a lemon, Papadopoulos Publications.

D. The 2023 State Book Award for Children’s Education Book is awarded by majority vote to Mariza Decastro for the work entitled My own people, (illustrated by Hara Marantidou), Kaleidoscope Publications.