Karl Dedecius Prize: over two decades of celebrating literary translation 27.03.2026
The Karl Dedecius Prize carries a significance that goes beyond a prestigious distinction: it highlights the importance of translation, underscores its culture-forming role, and enhances the visibility of those who help decide which books cross borders—and how they are read in new contexts.
Translation deserves recognition
Literary translation is one of those fields of culture that often operates without much public attention, even though its importance is fundamental. It is thanks to translators that literature transcends the boundaries of language, history, and experience, allowing readers in different countries to meet within a shared imaginative space. Established in 2003, the Karl Dedecius Prize emphasizes this culture-forming function of translation by honouring something more than technical proficiency in conveying meaning: the enduring capacity of translation to build dialogue between cultures. For the Willa Decjusza Institute of Culture, this dimension is particularly important, embedded both in the history of the place and in its contemporary mission.
Karl Dedecius – a builder of cultural bridges
The Karl Dedecius Prize honours translators of Polish and German-language literature, recognising individuals whose work contributes to mutual understanding between Poland and Germany. The prize’s patron, Karl Dedecius, was not only one of the most outstanding translators of Polish literature into German and an initiator of dialogue between writers from Poland and Germany, but also a figure thanks to whom Polish literature was able to cross the Iron Curtain and reach readers in the democratic world.
It was he who, in 1991, proposed the idea of restoring the then-ruined Willa Decjusza and establishing here a “forum of humanists”: a space for the exchange of ideas, encounters between distant traditions, dialogue that acknowledges difference, and conversation beyond divisions. Today, this idea is realised through the ongoing work of the Willa Decjusza Institute of Culture.
It was he who, in 1991, proposed the idea of restoring the then-ruined Willa Decjusza and establishing here a “forum of humanists”: a space for the exchange of ideas, encounters between distant traditions, dialogue that acknowledges difference, and conversation beyond divisions. Today, this idea is realised through the ongoing work of the Willa Decjusza Institute of Culture.
A new formula
The new formula of the Karl Dedecius Prize places even greater emphasis on the artistic quality of translation. As announced by the organisers - the German Institute of Polish Affairs in Darmstadt - since 2026 the prize focuses more strongly on translations of works published in Poland and Germany within the past two years, rather than on a translator’s lifetime achievements.
This change makes the award more inclusive, as it opens the possibility for recognition to those at the beginning of their professional path or with a smaller body of work. The shortlist is announced in March, while the laureates (for translation into Polish and into German) will be revealed in early May.
This year’s edition demonstrates not only the diversity and richness of two-way translation between Polish and German-language literatures, but also the urgent need to support spaces where intercultural dialogue can take place and where the democratic ideal of freedom of expression can fully materialise. Literature is one such space - especially when it deepens our understanding of the processes shaping our part of Europe.
This change makes the award more inclusive, as it opens the possibility for recognition to those at the beginning of their professional path or with a smaller body of work. The shortlist is announced in March, while the laureates (for translation into Polish and into German) will be revealed in early May.
This year’s edition demonstrates not only the diversity and richness of two-way translation between Polish and German-language literatures, but also the urgent need to support spaces where intercultural dialogue can take place and where the democratic ideal of freedom of expression can fully materialise. Literature is one such space - especially when it deepens our understanding of the processes shaping our part of Europe.