On December 5, we closed submissions for the Drahomán Prize, an award for translators from the Ukrainian into other languages founded by the Ukrainian Institute, PEN Ukraine, and the Ukrainian Book Institute.

After analysing the received applications for technical compliance, 31 translators and translation teams have been included in the longlist for the Drahomán Prize. This year the majority of nominees translated from Ukrainian into English language. Besides, the long list includes translators into German, Italian, Polish, Georgian, Romanian, Swedish, French, Norwegian, Slovak, Bengali, Serbian, Czech, Slovenian, Hebrew, Belarusian, Lithuanian, and Portuguese languages.

Applications for the prize were received from 26 countries, namely Italy, the United States, Norway, Poland, Austria, Slovakia, Spain, India, Georgia, Sweden, Serbia, the Czech Republic, Germany, the Czech Republic, Germany, Slovenia, the United Kingdom, Canada, Israel, Finland, Portugal, Lithuania, Hungary, Romania, Brazil, Greece, France, and the Netherlands.

Most applications were submitted by foreign publishing houses, diplomatic representations of Ukraine in various countries, and cultural institutions.

The long list nominees are:

• Alessandro Achilli, Yaryna Grusha. Translation into Italian: Iryna Shuvalova. Endsongs (Iryna Shuvalova. Canzoni alla fine). Interlinea srl edizioni, 2025. Applicants: The Embassy of Ukraine in Italy, Associazione Italiana di Studi Ucraini.
• Dagfinn Foldøy. Translation into Norwegian: Yuri Andrukhovych. Twelve Circles (Jurij Andrukhovytsj. Tolv ringer). Cappelen Damm AS, Oslo, 2025. Applicant: Cappelen Damm publishing house.
• Marcin Gaczkowski. Translation into Polish: Valerian Pidmohylny. The City (Walerian Pidmohylny. Miasto). Wydawnictwo KEW, 2024. Applicant: KEW publishing house.
• Ganna Huemer Gnedkova. Translation into German: Victoria Feshchuk. 182 Days (Wiktorjia Feschtschuk. 182 Tage). Kassel: Jenior Verlag, 2024. Applicant: The Embassy of Ukraine in Austria. 
• Veronika Goldiňáková. Translation into Slovak: Yuri Andrukhovych. Radio Night (Jurij Andruchovyč. Radio Noc). N Press, s. r. o., 2024. Applicant: Dennik N publishing house.
• Mridula Ghosh. Translation into Bengali: Taras Shevchenko. Kobzar. 2025. Applicants: Jadavpur University Press, The Embassy of Ukraine in India.
• Tamta Gugushvili. Translation into Georgian: Stanislav Aseyev. The Torture Camp on Paradise Street (ნათელი გზა. ერთი საკონცენტრაციო ბანაკის ამბავი). Artanuji Publishing, 2025. Applicant: Artanuji Publishing.
• Nils Håkanson. Translation into Swedish: Sofia Andrukhovych. Amadoka (Sofia Andruchovytj. Amadoka). Albert Bonniers Förlag, 2024 (Romana och Uljana), 2025 (Sofia). Applicant: Albert Bonniers publishing house.
• Milena Ivanović. Translation into Serbian: Oksana Zabuzhko. Oh Sister, My Sister (Oksana Zabuško, Sestro, sestro: izabrane priče). Beograd, Kontrast izdavaštvo, 2024. Applicant: The Embassy of Ukraine to the Republic of Serbia.
• David Kakabadze. Translation into Georgian: Victoria Amelina. Dom's Dream Kingdom. Siesta, Tbilisi 2024. Applicant: Siesta publishing house.
• Petr Kalina. Translation into Czech: Sofia Andrukhovych. Amadoka (Sofija Andruchovyč. Amadoka). Větrné mlýny, 2025. Applicant: Větrné mlýny publishing house.
• Beatrix Kersten. Translation into Germany: collection of selected poetry by Taras Shevchenko (Shevchenko, Taras: «Flieg mein Lied, meine wilde Qual». Dichtung und Selbstzeugnisse) Göttingen 2025; Volodymyr Vakulenko. I’m transforming... A Diary of Occupation. Selected Poetry (Vakulenko, Volodymyr: Ich verwandle mich… Besatzungstagebuch). Ausgewählte Gedichte. Weimar 2024. Applicants: Friedrich Mauke and Wallstein publishing houses.
• Ali Kinsella and Dzvinia Orlowsky. Translation into English: Halyna Kruk, Lost in Living. Lost Horse Press, 2024. Applicant: Lost Horse Press.
• Ryszard Kupidura. Translation into Polish: Bohdan Kolomiychuk. Three Hundred Miles East (Bohdan Kołomijczuk. 300 mil na wschód). Anagram, 2024. Applicant: Anagram publishing house.
• Dmytro Kyyan and Kate Tsurkan. Translation into English: Khrystia Vengryniuk. Long Eyes. Lost Horse Press, 2025. Applicant: Lost Horse Press.
• Primož Lubej, Janja Vollmaier Lubej. Translation into Slovenian: Serhii Zhadan. The Orphanage (Serhij Žadan. Internat). Belletrina, 2024. Applicant: The University of Ljubljana's Faculty of Philosophy.
• Yulia Lyubka and Kate Tsurkan. Translation into English: Andriy Lyubka. War from the Rear. A Ukrainian aid volunteer's story. Academic Studies Press, 2025. Applicant: Academic Studies Press.
• Nina Murray. Translation into English: Iryna Vikyrchak. Algometry. Lost Horse Press, 2025; Oksana Lutsyshyna. Love Life. HURI, 2024; Serhiy Zhadan. A Harvest Truce. HURI, 2024; Lesya Ukrainka. Cassandra. HURI, 2024. Applicants: Lost Horse Press and Harvard Ukrainian Research Institute.
• Yuliya Musakovska. Translation into English: Artur Dron. We Were Here. Jantar Publishing, UK, 2024. Applicant: Jantar Publishing.
• Rostyslav Nyemtsev and Felicia Mihali. Translation into French: Volodymyr Vakulenko. I’m transforming... A Diary of Occupation. Selected Poetry (Volodymyr Vakoulenko. Premiers jours d’occupation.  Derniers jours de Volodymyr). Hastag, 2024. Applicant: Éditions Hashtag 2018 publishing house.
• Anton Papernyi (ינרפפ ןוטנא). Translation into Hebrew: Oksana Zabuzhko. Fieldwork In Ukrainian Sex (וק'ְזּו ּבַז הנסקוא, חטש ירקחמ יניארקוא סקסב). Tel Aviv, 2024. Applicant: Nemala publishing house.
• Ales Plotka and Natallia Rusetskaya. Translation into Belarusian: Yurii Izdryk Human Right. Berlin, 2025. Applicant: Civic cultural campaign “Hodna”.
• Lorenzo Pompeo. Translation into Italian: Ivan Franko. For the Home Fireplace (Ivan Frankò. Ultima  Confessione A Leopoli). Bonfirraro editore, 2024. Applicant: Casa editrice Bose Giesse.
• Donata Rinkevičienė. Translation into Lithuanian: Age of Red Ants. Tetiana Pyankova (Tania Pjankova. Raudonųjų skruzdžių amžius). Alma Littera, 2024; Yulia Iliukha. My Women. Slinktys, 2025. Applicants: Slinktys and Alma Littera publishing houses.
• Tetyana Savchynska. Translation into English: Kateryna Zarembo. Ukrainian Sunrise: Stories of the Donetsk and Luhansk Regions from the Early 2000s. Academic Studies Press, Boston, 2024. Applicant: Academic Studies Press.
• Halina Surowiec. Translation into Polish: Vasyl Slapchuk. Roman & Roman (Wasyl Słapczuk. Tom & Tom). Warsztaty Kultury, Lublin, 2025. Applicant:  Warsztaty Kultury publishing house.
• Mihai Hafia Traista. Translation into Romanian:  Sofia Andrukhovych. Amadoka (Sofia Andruhovici. Amadoca). București: Editura Trei, 2025); Yurii Andrukhovych. Radio Night (Iuri Andruhovîci. Radio Noapte). București: Editura Trei, 2024; Protective mechanisms of 12 Ukrainian writers during the war. (Mecanisme de apărare. 12 scriitori ucraineni în război), București: Editura Trei, 2025. Applicant: The Ministry of Culture of Romania.
• Sofia Uggla. Translation into Swedish: Serhii Zhadan. Arabesques (Serhyi Zhadan. Arabesker). Ersatz, 2025. Applicant: Ersatz publishing house.
• Susanna Witt. Translation into Swedish: Yulia Iliukha. My Women» (Julia Iljucha. Mina kvinnor. Fyrtio ukrainska ögonblick). Romanus & Selling, 2025. Applicant: Romanus & Selling publishing house.
• Volha Yermalayeva Franco, Paterson Franco Costa. Translation into Portuguese: Maksym Kryvtsov. Poems from the Loophole (Kryvtsov Maksym. Poemas da Seteira). Editora Rua do Sabão, 2025. Applicant: Representação Central Ucraniano Brasileira – RCUB.
• Ella Yevtouchenko et Frédéric Martin. Translation into French: Yaryna Chornohuz. [dasein: defense of presence] (Yaryna Chornohuz. C'est ainsi que nous  demeurons libres). Le Tripode, 2025. Applicant: Le Tripode publishing house.

The Drahomán Prize was launched in 2020 by the Ukrainian Institute, PEN Ukraine, and the Ukrainian Book Institute to support and acknowledge translators from Ukrainian into world languages. It is awarded for the excellence in translation and contribution to the promotion of Ukrainian literature abroad.

The longlisted nominees and the laureate are selected by the Chapter which consists of 9 members. The Chapter consists of reputable translators, linguists, literary scholars, and cultural managers, as well as the director of the Ukrainian Book Institute. The 2025 Chapter members include Volodymyr Sheiko, Volodymyr Yermolenko, Oleksandra Koval, Yaroslava Strikha, Alla Tatarenko, Eero Balk, Rory Finnin, Iryna Zabiiaka, and Sofiia Onufriv. 

The name of the laureate will be announced in spring during the award ceremony. The laureate receives a statuette created by the Ukrainian artist Anna Zvyagintseva and a 3,000 EUR prize (taxes included), as well as additional opportunities for professional growth and promotion of works.

The German translator Claudia Dathe became the first laureate of the Prize in 2020. Also, Imadeddine Raef, a translator from Ukrainian into Arabic, was awarded the Chapter’s Special Honor "for the excellence in translation and promotion of Ukrainian classical literature." 

The Polish translator, writer, and literary critic Bohdan Zadura became the laureate of the 2021 Drahomán Prize. The Special Honor of the Chapter "for the filigree translation of the classics of Ukrainian literary modernism and contribution to the promotion of Ukrainian literature in Europe" was awarded to Tobias Wals, a Ukrainian-to-Dutch translator. 

The French translator Iryna Dmytrychyn became the laureate of the 2022 Drahomán Prize. The Special Honor of the Chapter "for the particular contribution in translating and promoting Ukrainian literature, and in developing the Ukrainian studies in Italy" was awarded to Giovanna Brogi, a translator from Ukrainian into Italian.

The Polish translator Katarzyna Kotyńska was named the 2023 laureate of the Drahomán Prize. The Special Honor of the Chapter "for building cultural bridges between Ukraine and Georgia" was awarded to Raul Chilachava, a translator from Ukrainian into Georgian.

The Finnish translator Eero Balk has been awarded the 2024 Drahomán Prize. The Special Jury Commendation for the high professionalism and humanism in developing the Ukrainian-Lithuanian literary dialogue was given to a translator from Ukrainian into Lithuanian, Vytautas Dekšnys.

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Ukrainian Institute is a state institution dedicated to spotlighting Ukrainian culture globally and nurturing profound cultural ties with other countries and peoples. Since 2018, the Institute has worked worldwide with the head office in Kyiv. In 2023, its first branches opened in Europe: Berlin, Germany, and Paris, France. The Ukrainian Institute is affiliated with Ukraine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

PEN Ukraine is a cultural and human rights NGO uniting Ukrainian intellectuals – writers, journalists, scholars, publishers, translators, human rights defenders, culture managers. With over 170 members, it is one of 146 national centers of PEN International. It is a co-founder of the Vasyl Stus Prize, the Yuri Shevelyov Prize, and the George Gongadze Prize.

Ukrainian Book Institute is a government entity affiliated to the Ministry of Culture of Ukraine. Its mission is to develop state policy in the book sector, promote book reading in Ukraine, support book publishing, encourage translation activity, and popularize Ukrainian literature abroad.