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Luxembourg's Ministry of Culture has announced the winners of the 2023 National Literary Competition.
The jury, composed of Christiane Kremer (president), Eileen Byrne, Viviane Thill, Claude Kremer and Claude Waringo, has just selected the winners of this year's National Literary Competition, dedicated to screenplays in Luxembourgish, French, German and/or English.
For the second year in a row, an English-language work took home the top prize. The jury awarded first prize (€5,000) in the adult authors category to Janine Horsburgh for her screenplay "Dead Woman Waltzing". The jury was won over by "the author's approach which addresses the themes of illness and mourning with great sensitivity and tenderness without falling into sentimentality. This quality is particularly evident in the quality of the dialogues. The strong and complex relationship between the two women, told with finesse and humour, gives them a dignity often denied by society."
Second prize (€2,000) in this category went to Jana Montorio for "Le blanc immense". The jury described this submission as "a work which stands out for its visual quality and its original settings highlighting a significant socio-political dimension. The mysterious atmosphere of the story creates a captivating suspense that gradually reveals the tragedy that haunts the main character."
Third prize (€1,250) went to Lena Junker for "Aorta". The jury commented: "With a lot of imagination and creativity, the author manages to create an atmosphere imbued with magical realism by introducing an eccentric character into a world devoid of emotions. This narrative imbalance invites in a humorous way a reflection on our capacity to evolve in the face of new ideas."
Julia Ingersoll's "House of Illusions" - another English-language work - was the winning submission in the young authors category (authors aged 12-19). The jury noted: "The young writer has perfectly achieved a genre film carried by a substantial dramatic arc. She demonstrates her mastery of horror film conventions, putting them at the service of a theme that particularly resonates with a young audience."
The jury also highlighted the overall literary quality and stylistic diversity of the submissions. A total of 32 authors entered this edition of the competition.
The 2023 National Literary Competition was reserved for scriptwriting projects for fictional, animated or experimental cinematographic and audiovisual projects in Luxembourgish, French, German and/or English. There were two prize categories: one for adult authors aged 20 and over and another for young authors aged twelve to nineteen.
The official award ceremony for the 2023 National Literary Competition will take place at the Centre National de Littérature in Mersch on Thursday 14 December 2023.
Since 1978, the Ministry of Culture has organised the National Literary Competition to encourage literary creation in Luxembourg. Each year, the competition is dedicated to a different literary genre; the 2024 edition will focus on plays (further details to follow).
