Vilenica International Literary Award

Ilma Rakusa and Karl-Markus Gauß, Vilenica Prize Winners 2005

The culmination of the events of the Vilenica International Literary Festival is the announcement of the winners of three Vilenica awards, namely the Vilenica International Literary Prize, Crystal Vilenica, and Young Vilenica.

Vilenica International Literary Prize

The most prestigious Vilenica accolade is the Vilenica International Literary Prize given to a Central European author for outstanding achievement in literature or essay writing. The winning author is selected by a jury consisting of prominent writers, translators, university professors and essayists. The award ceremony is held in the Vilenica cave and is accompanied by a rich cultural programme. The winning work is translated and published by Cankarjeva Publishing House and presented at the next Vilenica Festival. Milan Kundera, Ana Blandiana, Peter Handke, Peter Esterhazy, Ilma Rakusa, Karl-Markus Gauss, David Albahari, Claudio Magris, Olga Tokarczuk, Mircea Cărtărescu, László Krasznahorkai, and Ilija Trojanow are some of the members of the Vilenica laureates club.

Crystal Vilenica

The Crystal Vilenica is awarded to an author whose work is included in the Vilenica Almanac and who appears at one of the literary readings during the festival. The winner is selected by an international jury composed of notable Vilenica festival guests. The award, a statuette made by academic painter Peter Abram, is presented at a literary evening at the Štanjel castle. The winner is given an opportunity to appear at the literary festival Cúirt in Galway, Ireland. The previous year's winner of the Poetry Slam Award presented during the festival in Galway is likewise hosted at the Vilenica Festival. Some of the award recipients are: Dubravka Ugrešić, Mojca Kumerdej, Luljeta Lleshanaku, Goran Vojnović, and Tania Malyarchuk

Young Vilenica Award

The international children's literary award Young Vilenica was established in 2000 by KUD Vilenica Art Society Sežana with a view to promoting literary creativity among young people. Every year crystal pens are presented to authors in three age categories, and pupils of all European primary schools are welcome to participate. The jury selects the best poems, which are then published in the Young Vilenica Almanac. The awards are presented at the Kosovel Culture House in Sežana in May, while the winners get the opportunity to participate as guest authors at the Vilenica Festival and the Cuisle International Poetry Festival in Limerick, Ireland.

CEI Award

The CEI Award for Writers in Residence is a newly established award presented by the Central European Initiative in collaboration with Slovene Writers’ Association as part of Vilenica International Literary Festival. The Award seeks to encourage cross-border cooperation and promotion in the field of literature for young writers from Central European Initiative member states that are not members of the European Union.