Established in 2023, the Cercador Prize recognizes works of literature in translation as selected by a committee of independent booksellers based across the United States.
Each committee member is responsible for nominating two book-length translations published and distributed in the U.S. between January 1st and December 31st of the current year. The committee’s primary focus is English-language translation including but not limited to fiction, nonfiction, memoir, and hybrid texts. As nominations are culled from the committee’s organic discovery and discussions, there is no formal submission process for the prize.
The ten finalists for the 2025 prize will be announced on International Translation Day (September 30) with one winner to follow in November. An amount of $1,000 will be conferred entirely to the winning translator or translators.
Translators based anywhere in the world are eligible for the Cercador Prize.
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Emily Tarr (Chair)
Thank You Books, Birmingham, ALJavi Tapia
Third Place Books, Seattle, WADylan McGonigle
Wayfinder Bookshop, Fairfax, CABeatriz Quiroz GarcÃa
Skylight Books, Los Angeles, CAC. Rees
Alienated Majesty Books, Austin, TX -
Mohamed Mbougar Sarr's The Silence of the Choir, translated from the French by Alison Anderson | Europa Editions
Alki Zei's The Wildcat Behind Glass, translated from the Greek by Karen Emmerich | Yonder
Munir Hachemi's Living Things, translated from the Spanish by Julia Sanches | Coach House Books
Jean-Baptiste Del Amo's The Son of Man, translated from the French by Frank Wynne | Grove Press
Adèle Rosenfeld's Jellyfish Have No Ears, translated from the French by Jeffrey Zuckerman | Graywolf Press
Eva Baltasar's Mammoth, translated from the Catalan by Julia Sanches | And Other Stories
AgustÃn Fernández Mallo's The Book of All Loves, translated from the Spanish by Thomas Bunstead | Fitzcarraldo Editions ✦
László Krasznahorkai's Herscht 07769, translated from the Hungarian by Ottilie Mulzet | New Directions
Yuri Herrera's Season of the Swamp, translated from the Spanish by Lisa Dillman | Graywolf Press
Scholastique Mukasonga's Sister Deborah, translated from the French by Mark Polizzotti | Archipelago Books
✦ winner -
Spencer Ruchti (Chair)
Third Place Books, Seattle, WAThu Doan
East Bay Booksellers, Oakland, CARiley Rennhack
Deep Vellum Books, Dallas, TXEmily Tarr
Thank You Books, Birmingham, ALOscar Almonte-Espinal
Uncle Bobbie's Coffee & Books, Philadelphia, PA -
Fernanda Melchor’s This Is Not Miami, translated from the Spanish by Sophie Hughes | New Directions
Ana Paula Maia’s Of Cattle and Men, translated from the Portuguese by Zoë Perry | Charco Press ✦
Cheon Myeong-kwan’s Whale, translated from the Korean by Chi-Young Kim | Archipelago Books
Norman Erikson Pasaribu’s Happy Stories, Mostly, translated from the Indonesian by Tiffany Tsao | Feminist Press
Xu Zechen’s Beijing Sprawl, translated from the Chinese by Jeremy Tiang and Eric Abrahamsen | Two Lines Press
Juan Gómez Bárcena’s Not Even the Dead, translated from the Spanish by Katie Whittemore | Open Letter
Guadalupe Nettel’s Still Born, translated from the Spanish by Rosalind Harvey | Bloomsbury Publishing
Olga Ravn’s My Work, translated from the Danish by Sophia Hersi Smith and Jennifer Russell | New Directions
Jon Fosse’s A Shining, translated from the Norwegian by Damion Searls | Transit Books
Mathias Énard’s The Annual Banquet of the Gravediggers’ Guild, translated from the French by Frank Wynne | New Directions
✦ winner -
Spencer Ruchti (Chair)
Third Place Books, Seattle, WAThu Doan
East Bay Booksellers, Oakland, CARiley Rennhack
Deep Vellum Books, Dallas, TXJavier Ramirez
Exile in Bookville, Chicago, ILGary Lovely
Prologue Bookshop, Columbus, OH
The 2024 Cercador Prize Finalists
The 2023 Cercador Prize Finalists
