Surpassing all expectations, more than one thousand entries were submitted to the second season of Libri Talent and to the Libri Talent Mini fairy tale writing competition. Following the professional evaluation, 10 applicants will receive financial and professional support through the scholarship program, while the winners of the fairy tale contest will not only receive financial recognition but also the opportunity to have their manuscripts published. Meanwhile, as a result of the program’s first season, several authors will debut this year, with the first book set to be released before the end of 2025, accompanied by a recommendation from mentor Mór Bán.
Once again, Libri’s talent development program has proven highly popular. By the September 28 deadline, more than 1,000 people decided to showcase their writing and storytelling skills in response to the initiative of Hungary’s leading book retail and publishing group.
According to Prof. Dr. Petra Aczél, Chair of the Libri Support Committee:
“The submissions tell us that literary enthusiasm is at its peak in Hungary! Libri has found the way to transform this enthusiasm into exciting stories, enduring novels, and fairy tales – books to be inherited by future generations. From the biographies of our great authors, we know that beyond dreams and talent, opportunity has always been necessary for the birth of works. The Talent program provides exactly this. Helping thousands of new pages of Hungarian literature come to life is the most beautiful task we could ask for.”
For Libri, discovering and supporting literary talent is not only a social responsibility but also a strategic goal. The Libri Talent program, launched in August 2024, supports both the debut of young Hungarian authors and the training of professionals in the book industry. This year, the writing scholarship was expanded to include a fairy tale category, which tripled the number of submissions across the two program elements.
Many applicants tried their hand in multiple genres, making the evaluation process the program’s biggest challenge in the coming months. The professional review has already begun, and the Libri Support Committee will decide on the works deemed best. Selected talents (up to 10 people) will work with their mentors on their manuscripts for nearly a year, and during this time they will receive HUF 2.4 million in support. At the end of the program, the best works will be published by Libri and given prominent visibility in its bookstores.
In addition to traditional literary categories, Libri’s talent program introduced a brand-new fairy tale writing competition. The Libri Talent Mini seeks authors who carry forward the timeless values of children’s stories. The best works will be awarded HUF 750,000, and up to 10 winners will have the opportunity to publish their fairy tales.
The strong interest in the competition has particular significance because several works from last year’s scholarship recipients will soon be published by the Libri Group. The first title will appear on bookstore shelves this November with a recommendation from Mór Bán, author of the Hunyadi series, who has been involved as a mentor since the program’s launch. According to current plans, the next volume will be published by Helikon in time for the Festive Book Week.
Libri extends its gratitude to all applicants for their participation and remains committed to creating opportunities to discover new literary voices, as well as to supporting the introduction and growth of writing talent.
