Baku: Azerbaijan is set to establish a significant new state award in literature, the Azerbaijan Book Award, which comes with a prize of 50,000 manats. This announcement was made by Deputy Minister Farid Jafarov during a meeting with young writers, according to APA reports.

According to Azeri-Press News Agency, the award is scheduled to be officially announced in 2026 and will be sanctioned by a Presidential Decree. The award will recognize one laureate, presenting the winner with a cash prize, a diploma, and a badge. Additionally, the winning book will be printed in 3,000 copies, published in two countries, translated into four languages, and sold, with all proceeds from the sales going to the author.

The competition will accept works in two main categories: prose, which includes novels and collections of stories, and poetry, covering poems and short stories. Each publishing house can enter two works into the competition, while each literary organization can submit one work that it has fully published.

The selection process will involve multiple stages. In the initial stage, a Council of Experts will compile a long list of ten works in September. By November, a special commission will select a shortlist of five works, from which the laureate of the Azerbaijan Book Award will be announced later that month.

The other four shortlisted candidates will each receive 2,000 manats. The final stage of the award will be a live broadcast show featuring participation from world-renowned writers, where voting and results will be displayed on screen.

This newly established award will replace the literature category of the State Prize, which was previously awarded to scientists and cultural figures in Azerbaijan.