Slovak literary awards recognize record Kežmarok entries and Michal Habaj

Slovakia's literary scene has celebrated several major achievements through recent award ceremonies. The 61st edition of Literárny Kežmarok saw a record participation, with 596 entries from 233 authors. To ensure impartiality, the jury evaluated works anonymously using numerical codes across four age categories in both poetry and prose.

Winners in the youngest category included Katarína Sokoľová and Nina Mochnáčová, while Natália Točeková secured first place in both poetry and prose for the high school category. In the adult category, Adrián Szabó won for poetry and Erika Hatalová won for prose.

Separately, Michal Habaj was named the laureate of the 8th Zlatá vlna poetry award. Announced during the Novotvar international literary festival in Bratislava, the award recognized his collection ‘Poézia. Torzo’. Habaj, a literary scientist at the Institute of Slovak Literature, was selected by a professional jury for his work exploring identity and meaning in a fragmented, technological society.