The 2026 National Literary Competition has awarded prizes to four poetry manuscripts. The adult first prize goes to Jhemp Hoscheit for ‘Verieren’, a manuscript in Luxembourgish that the jury describes as a conversation between two voices. The competition was open to texts in Luxembourgish, French, German and English. These four eligible languages do not correspond to four separate prizes.
The announcement of the results and the prize-giving are two different events. The results were announced on 12 November; the official ceremony is scheduled for 17 December at the National Literature Centre in Mersch. To understand what the jury sought to recognise, its comments offer a way in through form and voice, rather than the rankings alone.
A competition for manuscripts, not books already on the shelves
The theme of the 2026 edition was poetry collections. The Ministry of Culture reports 98 entries in the adult category and 24 in the category for young people aged 12 to 19. Texts could be written in Luxembourgish, French, German or English. These figures refer to entries, not poems or prizewinners.
The award is for unpublished manuscripts. According to RTL’s account, they are anonymised during the evaluation; the authors’ identities are revealed only once the decision has been made. The prize therefore recognises a text before any possible publication. For ‘Verieren’, the adult first prize is worth 7 500 euros, with a possible contribution of up to 5 000 euros towards publication costs. This possible support is not a sum automatically paid to the author, nor a guarantee of a publishing contract.
The jury, chaired by Pit Hoerold, also included Claude Bommertz, Sarah Hess, Dana Hempel and Robert Weis. Its comments, published by the Ministry alongside the results, describe the reasons for the selections. They offer an initial way into the forms and voices recognised.
‘Verieren’: two voices and a shared memory
In ‘Verieren’, the jury describes the voices of a couple and their shared memory, shaped by childhood and bereavement. It particularly notes the way everyday details open up broader questions. Its assessment also addresses Luxembourgish idiomatic expressions and the shift from an informal register to humour, then irony and reflection. These are formal elements highlighted in the rationale for the award.
Hoscheit had already won the adult first prize in 2025 for the manuscript of his novel ‘Den Impakt vu Klappentexter’. Promoculture bookshop lists this 336-page novel with Ernster, in an October 2026 edition. His trajectory is therefore twofold, but the two works should not be confused: the novel that won the previous year was published; ‘Verieren’ is the poetry manuscript recognised this year.
Three other collections, three ways of playing with voice
The adult second prize, worth 4 000 euros, goes to Andrea Murphy for ‘Funnily Enough… A Collection of Humorous Verse’. The jury praises humorous poetry that combines cultural references, satire and a variety of forms: limericks, sonnets and free verse all feature.
Lara Well receives the adult third prize, worth 3 000 euros, for ‘Mogme’. The jury recognises a sensitive and biting voice, grappling with the body, everyday life and the search for a place in a world attached to appearances.
The first prize for young people aged 12 to 19, worth 3 000 euros, goes to Jayani Baesel for ‘A Kiwi in a world of domestic chickens’. According to the jury, this collection explores belonging and peer pressure through several points of view, using forms ranging from haiku to free verse and reverse poetry.
A December prize-giving, then a different theme in 2027
The official prize-giving is scheduled for Thursday 17 December 2026 at 19:30 at the National Literature Centre, 2, rue Emmanuel Servais, in Mersch.
The 2027 competition will focus on children’s and young people’s literature, according to the Ministry. The next event will thus turn to a different literary field, following a 2026 edition devoted to poetry collections.
References
- Ministry of Culture: results and the jury’s rationale
- RTL: winners of the 2026 National Literary Competition
- Promoculture: details of ‘Den Impakt vu Klappentexter’
Maison Servais, home of the National Literature Centre in Mersch, on 13 April 2011. Archive photograph.
Cayambe — Mersch Maison Servais from park 2011 — Wikimedia Commons — CC BY-SA 3.0.
