On Tuesday 29 September 2026, Luxembourg’s Minister of Culture, Eric Thill, presented the 2026 Lëtzebuerger Literaturpräis Batty Weber (Batty Weber Prize) to Guy Helminger in recognition of his literary legacy.

The presentation follows the announcement on Friday 22 May that the jury for the Batty Weber Prize had selected Guy Helminger as winner for the fourteenth edition of the prize.

During a ceremony held at the National Literature Centre (CNL) in Mersch, Minister Thill emphasised that the Batty Weber Prize above all honours the distinctive voice and skilful craftsmanship that the author has cultivated and developed over the decades, to the point of establishing himself as an international reference in the field of contemporary literature.

“From a close observation of the world emerges a literature that also confronts the conflicts of our time, without reducing them to simplistic answers. This is precisely where one of the strengths of literature lies and particularly of Guy Helminger’s work,” remarked Minister Thill.

Born in 1963 in Esch-sur-Alzette, Guy Helminger lives in Cologne as an independent writer. His extensive body of work includes poems, novels, short stories, stage and radio plays, as well as screenplays. The recipient of numerous distinctions - including the Servais Prize twice, the prize in the text/concept/staging category at the 2023 Lëtzebuerger Theaterpräisser, the Dresden Poetry Prize, the Merano Poetry Prize and the Gustav Regler Prize—Guy Helminger actively contributes to the development of the literary scene as an author, host, cultural mediator and member of various literary associations.

For the 2026 edition of the Prize, the jury consisted of:

• Nathalie Jacoby, Director of the National Literature Centre, Chair of the Jury

• Lia Blum, Head of Department, Regional Public Library of Dudelange

• Jérôme Jaminet, Teacher and literary critic

• Claude Mangen, Director, Mierscher Theatre

• Jean Portante, Author

• Tonia Raus, Associate Professor, University of Luxembourg

• Laurent Thiry, Bookseller

The Batty Weber Prize was established in 1987 and is awarded every three years to a Luxembourgish writer in recognition of the literary quality, originality and cultural impact of their complete body of work. This national prize for Luxembourgish literature carries a monetary award of €10,000.

A detailed biography of Guy Helminger can be found on the CNL website.