The American Literary Translators Association (ALTA) announced the winners of the 2025 National Translation Awards (NTA) in Poetry and Prose as part of ALTA’s annual conference (ALTA48) in Tucson, Arizona.
2025 marks the 27th year for the NTA, and the 11th year to award separate prizes in poetry and prose. The National Translation Awards are awarded annually to literary translators who have made an outstanding contribution to literature in English by recreating the artistic force of a book of consummate quality.
The winner of the 2025 NTA in Poetry is Document Shredding Museum by Afrizal Malna, translated from Indonesian by Daniel Owen, published by World Poetry Books.
The winner of the 2025 NTA in Prose is Sand-Catcher by Omar Khalifah, translated from Arabic by Barbara Romaine, published by Coffee House Press.
Both winners were present at ALTA48 and read brief remarks and a selected passage from the winning translated books. The winners will each receive a $4,000 cash prize.
The 2025 judges in the poetry category were Conor Bracken, Dongshin Chang, and Rachel Galvin, and in the prose category were Peter Constantine, Ilze Duarte, George Henson, Hoyoung Moon, and Manjushree Thapa.
The 2026 NTA submissions portal will open in January 2026.
American Literary Translators Association (12/4/25)