Five people of recognised prestige in the field of Catalan-speaking culture form part of the jury for each of the five categories.

The number of original works submitted this year to the Premis Mallorca de Creació Literària, which the Consell has been awarding since 2005, is significantly higher than last year. In total, 273 works have been submitted, divided among the five existing categories: narrative, poetry, essay, theatre and children’s literature. The deadline for submissions was 1 August.

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In 2022, 11 original works have been submitted for the essay category, 65 in the narrative category, 120 in the poetry category, 56 in the theatre category and 21 in the children’s literature category. Most of the categories either increased the number of submissions or remained at a similar number. It should be noted that, since the recovery of the Awards in 2016, the number of works submitted has increased significantly and this year’s edition has received the most texts.

The jury for each of the prizes is made up of five members of recognised prestige in the field of Catalan-speaking culture. With regard to the narrative category, the jury is made up of the winner of the same prize in 2021, Manuel Brugarolas, the Menorcan writer and politician Maite Salord, the Catalan writer Núria Bendicho, the researcher on contemporary theory and literature Pol Guasch, and the doctor in Catalan philology Carles Cabrera.

The poet, journalist and cultural agitator Carles Sanuy; the writer and poet Vicenç Llorca; the essayist and literature teacher Cèlia Nadal; the Catalan poet Anna Gual; and the winner of the Cavall Verd poetry prize 2020, Anna Gas.

In the essay category, the jury is made up of the writer and philologist Caterina Valriu, the writer and linguistic populariser Enric Gomà, the professor of applied economics Antoni Riera, the doctor in general history and professor Margalida Bernat, and the professor of philosophy at the UIB Joan Lluís Llinàs.

Professor and playwright Josep Ramon Cerdà; playwright and theatre director Neus Nadal; director, playwright and cultural manager Aina Tur; Ibizan playwright Vicent Tur, and the head of the Department of Culture of Calvià, Catalina Caldentey, are in charge of determining which play will be awarded the Premi Mallorca theatre prize.

Finally, the people who form part of the jury in the children’s literature category are the children’s story illustrator and winner of the Premi Mallorca 2021, Goreti Pérez; the renowned cartoonist and caricaturist Pilarín Bayés; the comic artist, illustrator and publisher Tomeu Seguí; the illustrator and graphic designer Margalida Vinyes, and the illustrator and visual artist Nívola Uyá.

The aim of the Premis Mallorca de Creació Literària is to promote the creative production of literature in Catalan. The total prize money is 79,000 euros, the same amount as last year. Specifically, the narrative prize is worth 25,000 euros, the poetry prize 15,000 euros, the essay prize 19,000 euros, the theatre prize 10,000 euros, and the children’s literature prize 10,000 euros.

The Consell will publish the winning works and promote them through the publishing houses Disset Edició for the children’s literature prize and Grup Editorial Sargantana, under the Galés Edicions imprint, for narrative, poetry, plays and essays. These publishers have been awarded this commission by public tender and have already published the winning works of the Premis Mallorca de Creació Literària 2020 and 2021.

As for the theatrical texts, they will be published as part of the Teatre Principal collection. Likewise, the Teatre Principal will give a dramatised reading and reserves the preferential right to produce the play.

The titles of the winning plays will be announced at a specific gala event, which will take place during the celebrations of the Diada de Mallorca on the 31st of December. The Consell de Mallorca also intends to present the winning works already published around the Sant Jordi festival in 2023.