ALTA Awards Program

ALTA Awards Program

 NATIONAL TRANSLATION AWARD IN POETRY AND PROSE
 ALTA FIRST TRANSLATION PRIZE 
 ITALIAN PROSE IN TRANSLATION AWARD (IPTA)
 LUCIEN STRYK ASIAN TRANSLATION PRIZE
 SPAIN-USA FOUNDATION TRANSLATION AWARD (SUFTA) 

 

The American Literary Translators Association awards six major translation prizes at our annual conference. Read on to find out more about each prize!

 

Looking for information on how to submit?

Submissions are accepted from mid-January through mid-March via our Submittable page only.  See our complete submission instructions and the eligibility requirements for each award before applying.

Award Submissions & Eligibility

 

National Translation Award

The National Translation Award (NTA) is awarded annually in poetry and in prose to literary translators who have made an outstanding contribution to literature in English by masterfully recreating the artistic force of a book of consummate quality. Established in 1998, the NTA is the only prize for a work of literary translation into English to include an evaluation of the source language text. 2015 was the first year in which the NTA was awarded separately in poetry and prose. The winners of the National Translation Awards in Poetry and Prose receive a $4,000 prize each. Find full eligibility details here.

 

Cover of And the Street2024 NTA Winner in Poetry

And the Street by Pierre Alferi, translated from French by Cole Swensen
Green Linden Press

 

Book cover of Chinatown2024 NTA Winner in Prose

The Hunger of Women by Marosia Castaldi, translated from Italian by Jamie Richards
And Other Stories

 

Find the full list of past winners and judges here.

 

ALTA First Translation Prize

The ALTA First Translation Prize, inaugurated in 2024, recognizes the work of emerging literary translators and their editors. This $3,000 prize ($2,000 bestowed to the translator and $1,000 to the editor) is open to all genres, and awards one debut literary translation from any other language into English published in the previous calendar year. Translators based anywhere in the world and translations published anywhere in the world are eligible. Find full eligibility details here. 

 

Cover of And the Street2024 ALTA FIRST TRANSLATION PRIZE WINNER

The Enlightenment of Katzuo Nakamatsu by Augusto Higa Oshiro, translated from Spanish by Jennifer Shyue
Edited by Sarah Gale and Emma Raddatz
Archipelago Books

 

Looking for info on the ALTA Travel Fellowships for emerging translators to attend the annual conference? See our Emerging Translator Programs.

 

Italian Prose in Translation Award

The Italian Prose in Translation Award (IPTA) recognizes the importance of contemporary Italian prose (fiction and literary non-fiction) and promotes the translation of Italian works into English. This $5,000 prize was inaugurated in 2015 and is awarded annually to a translator of a recent work of Italian prose (fiction or literary non-fiction). Find the full list of winners and judges here. Find full eligibility details here.

 

Book Cover of The Betrothed2024 Italian prose in translation award Winner  

Lies and Sorcery by Elsa Morante, translated from Italian by Jenny McPhee
New York Review Books | Penguin Classics UK (forthcoming)

 

Find the full list of past winners and judges here.

 

Lucien Stryk Asian Translation Prize

Lucien Stryk (1924-2013) was an internationally acclaimed translator of Japanese and Chinese Zen poetry, renowned Zen poet himself, and former professor of English at Northern Illinois University. Stryk wrote, edited, and translated over two dozen volumes during his life. The $6,000 Lucien Stryk Asian Translation Prize, which was inaugurated in 2009, recognizes the importance of Asian translation for international literature and promotes the translation of Asian works into English. Find full eligibility details here.

 

Book Cover of Decapitated Poetry2024 Lucien stryk asian translation prize Winner

Decapitated Poetry by Ko-hua Chen, Translated from Chinese by Wen-chi Li and Colin Bramwell
Seagull Books

 

Find the full list of past winners and judges here.

 

Spain-USA Foundation Translation Award

The Spain-USA Foundation Translation Award (SUFTA), inaugurated in 2022, is offered by the American Literary Translators Association in conjunction with the Spain-USA Foundation. This $5,000 award recognizes translations into English of literary prose works written originally by authors of Spanish (Spain) nationality. The source language of the original text may be Spanish, Catalan, Basque, or Galician. Find full eligibility details here.

 

Book Cover of Antagony2024 spain-usa foundation translation award winner  

Open Heart by Elvira Lindo, translated from Spanish by Adrian Nathan West
Other Press

 

Find the full list of past winners and judges here.

 

Any questions about awards may be directed to Communications and Awards Manager Rachael Daum at rachaeldaum@literarytranslators.org.