Author Shulamit Lapid wins ACUM lifetime achievement award

Acclaimed Israeli author Shulamit Lapid has been awarded the prestigious Dahlia Ravikovitch Prize for Lifetime Achievement, a highlight among the 2025/26 ACUM Prize laureates. The announcement coincides with ACUM, the Israeli association for the protection of copyright, marking its 90th anniversary. The formal ceremony honoring the winners is scheduled for Monday, October 19, at the Creative House at Tel Aviv Port.

Lapid, a widely recognized figure in Israel and the wife of the late politician Tommy Lapid, as well as the mother of opposition leader Yair Lapid, is celebrated for her profound influence on Hebrew literature. Her internationally known work, "Valley of Strength," has been credited with revolutionizing the field by bringing female historical narratives to the forefront of a genre historically dominated by male voices. Her contributions have made her a staple for those studying Middle Eastern and Jewish literature. The selection committee, composed of cultural figures Hannah Goldberg, Yehudit Katzir, and Shai Schneider Eilat, praised Lapid as "one of the most prominent and significant voices in contemporary Hebrew literature," emphasizing her role in shaping Israeli identity.

Joining Lapid in the lifetime achievement category is composer and author Gideon Lewensohn, who will receive the Paul Ben-Haim Prize for Lifetime Achievement in Concert Music. Lewensohn is recognized as a foundational figure in establishing the composition program at Bar-Ilan University. The committee commended his "dramatic imagination, rare textual sensitivity," and a unique personal style that merges compositional precision with cultural memory.

Additionally, the ACUM Board of Directors announced a special award for the celebrated poet and writer Nurit Zarchi. With an extensive bibliography of over 160 books, Zarchi is a prominent international figure in children's and fantasy literature, having previously been nominated for the Hans Christian Andersen Award. Her experimental poetry, academic writings, and innovative fiction have deeply influenced generations of Hebrew readers and are frequently studied worldwide for their linguistic originality. The ACUM awards also recognized composers Sarit Shley Zondiner and Omri Avraham for their innovative musical works.

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one of the most prominent and significant voices in contemporary Hebrew literature