On Wednesday, April 23, the winner of the prestigious Drahomán Prize was announced, recognizing outstanding achievements in translating Ukrainian literature. The information was provided by UP.Culture in collaboration with the Ukrainian PEN.

This year, the award went to Finnish translator Eero Balk for his work on the novel 'Ladder' by Yevgenia Kuznetsova, published in 2023 by the Old Lion Publishing House. Last year, Balk was also shortlisted for the prize for his translation of Serhiy Rudenko's book 'Battle for Kyiv.'

Eero Balk stated, 'This novel shows how Ukrainians perceive the war and the Russian narratives that we do not hear about abroad. People overseas empathize but don't know how to deal with Russians. All the characters in the book know what to do. Therefore, my translation will help popularize Ukrainian culture in Finland.' He also mentioned his intention to donate his cash prize to support the Ukrainian army.

As the translator could not attend the ceremony, the award was received by journalist Natalia Teramae.

The winner was announced by Halyna Hryhorenko, the First Deputy Minister of Culture of Ukraine, and the award was presented by Myroslava Beza, the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs.

The winner received a cash prize of 3000 euros, and the Drahomán Prize statuette was created by Ukrainian sculptor Anna Zvyahintseva.

The shortlist for the Drahomán Prize 2024 also included translators from Ukrainian to English Amelia Gleizer and Yuliya Ilchuk, as well as translators from Ukrainian to Croatian Daria Pavleshen and Ana Dugandzic.

A special award for contributions to the Ukrainian-Lithuanian literary dialogue was given to Vitas Dekshnis, a translator from Ukrainian to Lithuanian.

About the Drahomán Prize

The Drahomán Prize, established in 2020 by the Ukrainian Institute, Ukrainian PEN, and the Ukrainian Book Institute, recognizes outstanding translations of Ukrainian literature.

The first laureate of the prize was German translator Claudia Date. In 2021, the award went to Polish translator Bohdan Zadura, and in 2022, it was awarded to Iryna Dmytryshyn.

In 2023, the prize was awarded to Polish translator Katarzyna Kotińska for her translation of 'The Longest Journey' by Oksana Zabuzhko. A special award for cultural bridges between Ukraine and Georgia was given to translator Raul Chilachava.

The shortlist and laureate are determined by a panel consisting of nine esteemed members, including writers, translators, and cultural managers.