Dublin Literary Award

The Dublin Literary Award honors one novel each year. It recognizes a work of fiction written in English or translated into English, and its entries come in an unusual way: public libraries in cities around the globe nominate the books, rather than publishers or authors. Dublin City Council sponsors the award, and Dublin City Libraries runs it, with support from Dublin UNESCO City of Literature. It was first presented in 1996, under its earlier name, the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award.

An international panel of judges, guided by a non-voting chair, reads the library nominations, names a longlist and then a shortlist, and chooses one winner. The prize is 100,000 euros. When the winning book is a translation, the translator receives a quarter of that sum. The winner is announced each May during the International Literature Festival Dublin.

Novels written in English or translated into English, first published within a set window before the award, and nominated by a participating public library. Publishers and authors cannot enter books directly.