"Kadare Award 2023", the new jury with writers and journalists from Albania and North Macedonia

Poets, writers, journalists and teachers. This is the representation of the new jury of the Kadare Prize, including not only different generations, but also names from all over the world, just as the competition itself is open to authors from all over the Albanian-speaking world.

Natasha Lako, a well-known poet and screenwriter, is the head of the jury, who will select the winner for 2023. The jury has been joined by the journalist Alfred Peza - who is also known in the world of letters as the author of a number of novels - journalist Nazim Rashidi from Skopje, Ermir Nika, head of the Department of Applied Arts at the European University of Tirana and pedagogue Irena Myzeqari.

With the meeting of the jury, the competition for the eighth edition of the "Kadare" Literary Award, the most prestigious for Albanian prose, was officially launched, which this year will award the winner with 10,000 euros.

Not only the monetary value, but as is the tradition of this award, the winning work will be published by the UET PRESS publishing house, in the "Literature" column. Also, the author will be involved in a long tour of book readings and promotions, throughout Albania.

Applications for this edition are open until January 17, 2023, where interested authors can send the first 15 pages of the work in manuscript and a brief summary of it.

The jury will select the ten best contestants, who will also be contenders for the grand prize. As in previous editions, it is expected that this year the interest will be great.

The Kadare Prize, since its inception, emphasizes Albanian literary prose, while UET PRESS also gives voice to Albanian authors. The contestants were not only comprehensive in terms of regions and ages, but prominent names of Albanian literature also had prominent interest.

In the previous edition, the winner was the writer Vera Bekteshi with her novel "Pusulla te Verdha". In the greeting speech during the award ceremony, she revealed that she had competed three times with three different works, until she was announced as the winning author for 2022. The writer, who is particularly noted for memoirs such as "Vila me Two Porta", brought a novel about the wounds of transition and people with different abilities.

Të tjerë fitues të shquar të Çmimit Kadare kanë qenë Gani Mehmetaj dhe Musa Ramadani, nga Kosova, Rudolf Marku, Virgjil Muçi, Shkëlqim Çela e Loer Kume. Përgjatë viteve, në këtë konkurs kanë garuar edhe emra të tjerë të njohur si poetja Mimoza Ahmeti, shkrimtarët Zija Çela e Bardhyl Londo, publicisti Mustafa Nano, poeti Primo Shllaku, Ylljet Aliçka, Gazmend Krasniqi e shumë të tjerë.

Ky çmim, i cili mori edhe bekimin e shkrimtarit Ismail Kadare, për të mbajtur emrin e tij, u ngrit si një projekt për promovimin e letërsisë shqipe e që të krijonte një traditë të gjatë.

Likewise, the aim of this award is to encourage Albanian criticism. Also, during the eight editions, the tradition of competing works in literary prose has been preserved, in order to stay true to the name, in honor of the great Albanian writer, who is primarily known as a novelist.

While pulling the first trophy of the Kadare Prize in 2015, the writer Rudolf Marku believed that the prize had to have continuity.

This eighth edition, which is supported by the Liberal Institute of Tirana "Pashko", is an indicator of the seriousness of giving support to Albanian literature and the promotion of authors from all Albanian-speaking regions. The winner of the 2023 Kadare Prize is expected to be announced on February 27 on the last day of the Winter School of Humanities, which will be held in Llogora.