L-R: Josée Hansen, Ministry of Culture; Claude Kremer, president of the jury; Marie-Isabelle Callier, winner; Marc Weydert, winner; Credit: CNL

The 2021 National Literary Competition award ceremony took place on Wednesday 8 December 2021 at the Centre National de Littérature (CNL) in Mersch.

The award ceremony took place in the presence of the winners, with Josée Hansen from the literature and publishing unit of Luxembourg's Ministry of Culture standing in for the Minister of Culture, Sam Tanson.

The winners of the 2021 National Literary Competition were:

  • "Verdruddelt Geschichten" (crumpled stories) by Marc Weydert and Marie-Isabelle Callier, first prize in the children's literature (for readers up to 12 years old) by adult authors category;
  • "Wasser gegen Sturm - Die Kräfte der vier Elemente" (water against storm - the forces of the four elements) by Lena Differding, first prize in the children's literature (readers up to 12) by young authors (aged 12-19) category;
  • "Dëst ass net däi Liewen" (this is not your life) by Claudine Muno, first prize in the children's literature (readers aged 13+) by adult authors category;
  • "Die Bibliothek der gescheiterten Schriftsteller" (the library of failed writers) by Eline Klaassen, first prize (€2,000) in the children's literature (readers aged 13+) by young authors category.

The jury was composed of Claude Kremer (president), Anne-Marie Antony, Romain Sahr, Tamara Sondag and Jeff Thill.

Since 1978, the Ministry of Culture has organised an annual literary competition with the aim of encouraging literary creation in Luxembourg. Each year, the National Literary Competition is dedicated to a different literary genre. The 2021 edition was dedicated to children's and youth literature.