The announcement of the winner and the recipients of the Euro-Mediterranean Literary Award PONT 2024 took place on 19 September 2024 at 11:00 in the Regional Museum of Koper. Organised for the third time by the Science and Research Centre Koper (ZRS Koper) and the Beletrina publishing house, the prize is awarded for outstanding achievements in the field of intercultural literature that contributes to overcoming barriers and building bridges between different social groups and cultural communities.
For the first time, the award was supported by the three Istrian municipalities of Piran, Koper and Ankaran, in cooperation with the European Capital of Culture 2025, Nova Gorica. The event was also supported by the Institute for Youth, Culture and Tourism in Koper, the Italian Union, the Srečko Vilhar Central Library in Koper and other Istrian libraries. Various events related to the PONT Award were organised with the participation of many other institutions, including the Koper Slavic Society, the Libris bookshop and several cultural figures from the region.
The press conference was chaired by Dr Vesna Mikolič, President of the PONT Committee and Director of the Institute for Linguistic Studies ZRS Koper. The welcome addresses were held by Prof. Dr Rado Pišot, Director of ZRS Koper, Aleš Šteger, Programme Director of Beletrina Publishing House, and representatives of the municipalities and partner organisations.







The main award ceremony will take place on 19 November 2024 in Koper and will include a city walk with a multilingual mix of the winning authors’ texts. The event will conclude with the official award ceremony at 19:00. In addition to the award, the project includes the publication of a new work by the winning author, a writer’s residency in Kubed, and numerous events with the authors in 2024 and 2025.
The PONT 2024 Euro-Mediterranean Literary Prize goes to the Belgian writer Stefan Hertmans.
Mohamad Abdul Munem receives the PONT 2024 Promising Intercultural Writer Award.
Vasja Bratina receives the PONT 2024 Prize for Translation.
Elisa Biagini, poet, translator and professor, receives the PONT 2024 Specialist in Intercultural Literature Award.
Congratulations to all the winners!