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Winners of the 2026 'First Book' Competition Announced
๐Ÿ‡ฑ๐Ÿ‡น Lithuania /Culture & Society

Winners of the 2026 'First Book' Competition Announced

From Delfi · (9h ago) Lithuanian Positive tone

Translated from Lithuanian, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

TLDR

  • The Lithuanian Writers' Union announced the laureates of the 2026 'First Book' competition.
  • The competition received 30 poetry and 19 prose manuscripts for evaluation.
  • Audrius Raฤkauskas won in the poetry category for 'Vidus be iลกorฤ—s,' and Indrฤ— Malinovskaja won in prose for 'Olei.'

The Lithuanian Writers' Union has unveiled the winners of its prestigious 'First Book' competition for 2026, celebrating emerging literary talent in Lithuania. This year's competition saw a robust submission of 30 poetry manuscripts and 19 prose manuscripts, all vying for recognition and the opportunity to see their debut works published by the Union's publishing house.

The rigorous evaluation process involved separate commissions for poetry and prose, composed of respected figures in the Lithuanian literary scene. The poetry manuscripts were assessed by poets Lina Buividaviฤiลซtฤ— (chair), Giedrฤ— Kazlauskaitฤ—, and Gintaras Bleizgys. The prose manuscripts were reviewed by writers Herkus Kunฤius (chair), Laura Sintija ฤŒerniauskaitฤ—, and Jurga Tumasonytฤ—. Their anonymous assessments ensured a fair and impartial selection of the most promising works.

I was born in Kaiลกiadorys, I live in Kaunas. I studied philosophy (VDU). I work in advertising, I teach philosophy and semiotics. I have a family, two daughters. I have not published poems anywhere until now.

โ€” Audrius RaฤkauskasSelf-introduction by the poetry winner.

This year, the top honors went to Audrius Raฤkauskas for his poetry manuscript titled 'Vidus be iลกorฤ—s' (Inside without Outside) and to Indrฤ— Malinovskaja for her novel 'Olei.' Both authors will have their first books published by the Lithuanian Writers' Union publishing house by the end of this year, marking a significant milestone in their literary careers. The competition not only identifies new voices but also plays a vital role in nurturing and promoting Lithuanian literature, ensuring its continued vibrancy and relevance.

I am a philologist. I teach English, I manage a small language school, I am an examiner for Cambridge English exams in Lithuania. Although my specialization is English, I am most drawn to the Lithuanian word and Lithuanian authors. A few years ago, the magazine 'Nemunas' published excerpts from the manuscript. During that time, I rewrote the work, the genre, the narrator, the title changed.

โ€” Indrฤ— MalinovskajaSelf-introduction by the prose winner.
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Originally published by Delfi in Lithuanian. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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