Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1537666
3 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 20 JULY 2025 BOOKS Malta Book Fund 2025 results are out THE National Book Council is pleased to announce that the Malta Book Fund 2025 adjudi- cation board has agreed on the winning submissions for this year's edition. 31 projects will be receiving funding for publica- tion or translation through the Malta Book Fund. Together with an increase in the overall budget allocation, a number of key innovations were introduced this year. Notably, the Fund has now gone ful- ly online in a bid to streamline the overall process, with revised guidelines to ensure clarity and efficiency. The winning projects have been chosen according to a set of established criteria, including the completeness of the submis- sion, cultural and educational value of the project, its engage- ment with the publishing market and target audience, feasibility and costings. The Malta Book Fund 2025 Adjudication Board was com- posed of Nikki Petroni, Kurs- tin Gatt, Francine Farrugia and Daniel Xerri, who independently assessed each submission. The adjudicators expressed op- timism about the quality of sub- missions across various strands, describing the overall picture as "one of promise and creative en- ergy" which confirms a "robust demand for support in literary and cultural production". "Many projects demonstrat- ed thoughtful engagement with their subject matter and a com- mitment to enriching public un- derstanding through both crea- tive and scholarly approaches," they said, adding that an encour- aging number of submissions in the research and non-fiction strands sought to highlight oft-neglected aspects of Maltese historiography, while creative projects distinguished them- selves for their experimentation with genre and medium. "Such innovation signals a growing confidence in pushing beyond conventional publishing formats," the adjudicators said, while also noting some short- comings throughout. These include a substantial number of incomplete propos- als, and applications submitted with vague budgeting plans, which put into question the fea- sibility of the projects. Notably, many submissions also lacked a clear marketing plan, which the adjudicators found particular- ly problematic given the reality of a declining readership in the country, which necessitates a greater promotional push in or- der for new books to gain trac- tion. By the application period dead- line on 20 May, the 2025 Malta Book Fund received a total of 72 submissions across all strands of the Fund. The budget for the 2025 edition was €135,000, as follows: • €55,000 for Publishing Grants for New Books; • €10,000 for Publishing Grants for New Editions of Out-of-Print Works; • €45,000 for Grants for the Translation and Export of books by Maltese authors; • €5,000 for Book Transla- tion Pitch Grants; • €20,000 for Grants for Translations into Maltese. Applicants who fail to receive funds in a particular year are not barred from applying again dur- ing the next call for applications, whether with the same project or a different one. Each applicant will receive a comprehensive report on their application, which will include both the marks and the general comments submitted by adjudi- cators. The NBC will contact the win- ning applicants to sign a bene- ficiary's contract, which allows a two-year (24 months) period from the date of signing to pub- lish the book. All the funded projects accord- ing to their strand can be found here: bit.ly/3UcDhSQ