Announcement of the Longlist for the
2026 Queen Sofía Spanish Institute Translation Prize
The Queen Sofía Spanish Institute (QSSI) announces the finalists for the 2026 Queen Sofía Spanish Institute Translation Prize, a $10,000 award for the best English translation of a work originally written in Spanish.
The ten finalist translations were selected by a distinguished Reading Committee composed of experts in the discipline of translation: Committee Chair Heather Cleary, writer, translator, and winner of the 2024 QSSI Translation Prize; Lisa Dillman, professor, translator, and winner of the 2025 Translation Prize; and Gwendolyn Harper, writer, translator, and runner-up of the 2025 Translation Prize.
The finalists include translations of works by acclaimed authors from Spain and Latin America whose contributions to literature have received international recognition, including Daniel Saldaña París, Gabriela Cabezón Cámara, Lucía Lijtmaer, Fátima Vélez, and Yuliana Ortiz Ruano.
Longlist for the 2026 QSSI Translation Prize:
- “The Dance and the Fire” by Daniel Saldaña París, translated by Christina MacSweeney, published by Catapult.
- “We Are Green and Trembling” by Gabriela Cabezón Cámara, translated by Robin Myers, published by New Directions Publishing.
- “Cautery” by Lucía Lijtmaer, translated by Maureen Shaughnessy, published by Charco Press.
- “Carnaval Fever” by Yuliana Ortiz Ruano, translated by Madeleine Arenivar, published by Soft Skull Press.
- “Married Life” by Sergio Pitol, translated by George Henson, published by Deep Vellum Publishing.
- “Galápagos” by Fátima Vélez, translated by Hannah Kauders, published by Astra House.
- “We, the Casertas” by Aurora Venturini, translated by Kit Maude, published by Soft Skull Press.
- “The Suicides” by Antonio Di Benedetto, translated by Esther Allen, published by NYRB Classics.
- “The Holy Innocents” by Miguel Delibes, translated by Peter Bush, published by Yale University Press.
- “The Pawn” by Paco Cerdà, translated by Kevin Gerry Dunn, published by Deep Vellum Publishing.
The Queen Sofía Spanish Institute Translation Prize aims to recognize the fundamental role of translators in making relevant and topical literary works accessible to a global audience.
The Queen Sofía Spanish Institute 2026 Translation Prize ceremony will take place on Thursday, November 19th at the Espacio de Culturas at the KJCC at New York University. The event will be attended by leading figures from the world of literature and translation. The event is open to the public, and to attend guests must RSVP here.
