Yesterday, May 27, 2024, the Award Ceremony of the State Literary Awards (years 2022 & 2023) and the National Playwriting Awards (year 2022), organized by the Ministry of Culture.

The Deputy Minister of Culture, Christos Dimas, who presented the Awards in two of the twenty-four categories, emphasized that “the Awards are an important institution for Greek literature and theater, recognizing and honoring the writers who, with their work, contribute to our cultural heritage and to the promotion of letters and of theater in our country and abroad”.

The evening’s top honor, the 2022 Grand Prize for Letters, was awarded to Maria Laina (dec. 27/12/23), while the Grand Prize of Letters 2023, to Rhea Galanakis for their overall contribution to Letters.

The Deputy Minister of Culture, Christos Dimas, during his speech said: “The Awards are the preeminent institution in honor of Greek literature and the highest form of rewarding people of letters by the State. The recognition and award of creators whose work stood out in 2021 and 2022, the distinction that the State Awards offer to writers, translators, authors of children’s books, illustrators, playwrights, publishers, coincides this year with the establishment of the Hellenic Foundation for the Book and Culture and we are particularly proud of it. Warm congratulations to all the participants, the awardees and of course the organizers for the excellent event.”

STATE LITERARY AWARDS 2022

  • I. The Grand Prize of Letters 2022 is awarded to Maria Laina for her overall contribution to Letters.

II. STATE AWARDS FOR LITERATURE 2022

  • A. The State Prize for Fiction 2022 is awarded to Sotiris Dimitriou for his work “Heaven from Other Places”, Pataki publications.
  • The 2022 State Prize for Short Story – Novellas is awarded to Nasia Dionysiou for her work “What is a plain”, Polis publications.
  • The State Poetry Prize 2022 is awarded to Thanasis Hatzopoulos for his work “Flags Under Construction”, Polis publications.

III. STATE ESSAY – TESTIMONY AWARDS 2022

  • A. The State Prize for Essay – Criticism 2022 is awarded to Panagis Panagiotopoulos for his work “Adventures of the middle class. Sociological records in late postcolonial Greece”, Epikentro publications.
  • B. The State Prize for Testimony – Biography – Chronicle – Travel Literature 2022 is awarded in half to Tasoula Verveniotis for her work “The Civilians of the Greek Civil War. The dynamics of memory”, Koukkida publications, and to Christos Christidis, for the work of “Georgios Kartalis”, publications of the Hellenic Parliament Foundation.

IV. The Special State Award 2022, for a book that significantly promotes dialogue on sensitive social issues, is awarded to Hilda Papadimitriou, for her work “Guilty until proven guilty”, Metaichmio publications.

V. STATE CHILDREN’S BOOK AWARDS 2022

  • A. The State Prize for Children’s Literary Book 2022 is awarded to Argyro Pipini for the work entitled “Zaza” (illustration by Petros Bouloumbasis), Kaleidoscope publications.
  • B. The 2022 State Prize for Adolescent-Youth Literary Book is awarded by a majority to Manos Kontoleontas for the work entitled “The Captain’s Mask”, Pataki publications.
  • C. The State Prize for Illustrated Children’s Book 2022 is awarded to the illustrator Persa Zacharias and the author Myrto Kalofolia for the work entitled “Lonely case”, Kaleidoscope publications.
  • D. The 2022 National Book of Knowledge Award for children is awarded in half to Aggeliki Darlasi for the work entitled “The big.. the small: the scientists” (illustrated by Sofia Papadopoulou), Metaichmio publications, and to Vasia Exarchou for the work entitled ” The cycle of the Cyclades” (illustrated by Vasias Exarchos, Dimitris Dourabeis, ‘Anny Dadoukis), Kedros publications.

VI. STATE AWARDS FOR LITERARY TRANSLATION 2022

  • A. The 2022 State Prize for Achievement of Ancient Greek Literature in Modern Greek is awarded to Nikolaos P. Bezantakos, for the translation of the work “Anthology of ancient Greek erotic literature” (Vol. I Poetry & Vol. II Prose), publications Association for the Dissemination of Useful Books.
  • B. The 2022 State Prize for Translation of a Work of Greek Language into a Foreign Language is awarded in half to Panos Karagiorgos, for the translation of the work “Kostis Palamas/Poetic Anthology”, Filyra publications, and to Loïc Marcou, for the translation of the work of Didos Sotiriou, “Electra”, H & O éditions.
  • C. The State Award for the Translation of a Work of Foreign Literature into the Greek Language 2022 is awarded to Giorgos Kentrotis, for the translation of Georg Trakl’s work, “All the Poems”, Rome publications.

VII. Awards in Literary Magazines which contribute to the promotion and dissemination of Greek literature

STATE PLAYWRITING AWARDS 2022

  • A. State Prize for Writing a Play

The 2022 State Playwriting Award is awarded semi-consecutively to two (2) plays to “Oi apakato” by Zeta (Georgia-Paraskevi) Fitsios, which was submitted to the competition under the pseudonym “Aliki Karnezou” and to “Terra Incognita” by Eleftheria Michaelidis, which was submitted to the competition under the pseudonym “Irini Angelidis”.

Also, praise is awarded to the following four (4) works: 1) “The Valley of the Poppies” by Dimitrios Alexios, which was submitted to the competition under the pseudonym “VLADIMIR ZELETIN”, 2) “Tsi Lenis The Mile” by Styliani Hairetis, which was submitted to the competition under the pseudonym “Myrsini Zacharias”, 3) “Bloody Demi” by Eleni Kostopoulou, which was submitted to the competition under the pseudonym “Dylan_Akulinos” and 4) “To Perasma” by Anna Pitta, which was submitted to contest under the nickname “Somehow”.

B. State Award for Writing a Play for Children

The State Prize for Writing a Play for Children in 2022 is awarded to “My brother from the stars” by Aggeliki Darlasis, which was submitted to the competition under the pseudonym “Anna Dimou”. Also, the Committee unanimously decided to award a Commendation to the play, “Once upon a time in Hamelin” by Maria Hiou, which was submitted to the competition under the pseudonym “Melissa”.

C. State Award for Young Playwrights “Chrysa Spiliotis”

The State Award for Young Playwrights “Chrysa Spiliotis” for the year 2022 is unanimously awarded to the play “Salty Letters” by Maria Psarologou, which was submitted to the competition under the pseudonym “Demons of Self”.

STATE LITERARY AWARDS 2023

I. The Grand Prize for Letters 2023 is awarded to Rhea Galanakis for her overall contribution to Letters.

II. STATE AWARDS FOR LITERATURE 2023

  • A. The State Prize for Fiction 2023 is awarded to Isminis Karyotakis, for her work “Fygodikos denou wasa”, Potamos publications.
  • B. The 2023 National Short Story-Novel Prize is awarded to Vangelis Hatzigiannidis, for his work “Your name”, To Rodakio publications.
  • C. The State Poetry Prize 2023 is awarded to Stavros Zafiriou, for his work “Green sky, blue grass”, Nefeli publications.

III. STATE ESSAY-WITNESS AWARDS 2023

  • A. The State Prize for Essay-Criticism 2023 is awarded to Christos Loukos, for his work “Hermoupolis of Syros” (1821-1950). From the Liverpool of the Eastern Mediterranean to the cotton city of the Cyclades, University Press of Crete.
  • B. The State Award for Testimony-Biography-Chronicle-Travel Literature 2023 is awarded to Spyros Papaioannou – Costas Vlisidis for their work “The horrible mosque of sin”, published by the Institute for the Study of Local History and Business History.
  • C. The State Award for Debut Author 2023 is awarded to Aris Alexandris, for his work “How Ignatius Karathodoris lost everything”, Metaichmio publications.

IV. The Special State Award 2023 for a book that significantly promotes dialogue on sensitive social issues, is awarded to Yannis Paschos, for his work “The chronicle of a dyslexic”, Perispomeni publications.

V. Honorary Distinction is awarded to the literary magazine Coralli.

VI. STATE AWARDS FOR LITERARY TRANSLATION 2023

  • A. The State Award for Translation of a Work of Foreign Literature into the Greek Language 2023 is awarded ex aequo to Myrto Kalofolias, for the translation of Anthony Doerr’s work, “Nefelokokygia”, Pataki publications, and to Sotiris Souliotis, for the translation of Jon Fosse’s work, “The Other Name”, Gutenberg Publications.
  • B. The State Prize for the Performance of a Project of Ancient Greek Writing in Modern Greek 2023 is awarded ex aequo to Pavlos Kalligas, for the translation of Plato’s work “Parmenides”, Stigmi publications, and to Theodoros K. Stephanopoulos, for the translation of the work of Herondas “Mimiamboi”, Kichli publications.
  • C. The 2023 State Prize for Translation of a Work of Greek Language into a Foreign Language is awarded ex aequo to Jean-Marc Laborie, for the translation of the work of Christoforos Milionis, “Kalamás ki Acheron” into French (Christoforos Milionis, Kalamás et Achéron, publications L’ Harmattan), and to Riikka Pulkkinen, for the translation of an anthology of modern Greek poets into the Finnish language (Aurinkokello: Nykykreikkalaisia, Enostone Kustannus editions).

VII. STATE CHILDREN’S BOOK AWARDS 2023

  • A. The State Children’s Literary Book Award 2023 is awarded to Kyriakos Haritos for the work entitled “Gia fantasou”, (illustrated by Daniela Stamatiadis), Metaichmio publications.
  • B. The 2023 State Prize for Adolescent-Youth Literary Book is awarded to Thodoris Koukias for the work entitled “Square waves, flying jellyfish”, Kedros publications.
  • C. The State Illustrated Children’s Book Award 2023 is awarded to the illustrator Chrysos Charalambous and the author Danai Daska for the work entitled “1000 ways to squeeze a lemon”, Papadopoulos publications.
  • D. The 2023 National Book of Knowledge Award for children is awarded to Mariza Decastro for the work entitled “My people”, (illustrated by Hara Marantidou), Kaleidoscope publications.