Instructions for the application process
The Petőfi Literary Fund has announced new grant opportunities intended to promote Hungarian literature abroad. The various grants provide support for different groups, including translators, publishing houses, literary agencies, and authors. We provide the instructions below to clarify who is eligible to submit applications for the various grants.
Grants for foreign publishing houses
We are offering two grants for which publishing houses outside of Hungary are eligible: the translation grant and the production grant. The translation grant is intended to help defray the costs of translating a work of Hungarian literature for publication in another language. The production grant is intended to defray the costs of the various processes of publishing a work of Hungarian literature in translation abroad. The latter grant may provide substantial assistance in the case of books with rich illustrations (for instance children’s books, albums on the arts, etc.), for which translation is only a minimal cost in comparison to the other costs of publication. These grants are announced twice a year.
- Translation grant (2022/2), submission deadline: 2022. 10. 31.
- Production grant (2022/2), submission deadline: 2022. 10. 31.
Grants for translators
We are also offering two grants for translators who are translating works of Hungarian literature into other languages. The first is for translators who are in the early stages of their careers, while the second is for seasoned translators. In the case of these two grants, the intention is not to further the publication of an entire work in translation, but rather to fund translations of longer excerpts from individual works of which the translator is particularly fond, though he or she may not yet have found a publisher or may not have received any commission. Once the translator has completed the translation of a longer excerpt from the work, he or she may then have an easier time convincing a publisher to consider the work. These grants are announced twice a year.
- Sample translation grant for career entrant translators of Hungarian literature (2022/2), submission deadline: 2022. 09. 30.
- Sample translation grant for experienced translators of Hungarian literature (2022/2), submission deadline: 2022. 09. 30.
Grant for theatres and theatre companies
Providing support for the translation of works for the theatre has proven a more complex task in the past. The financial support system was based on the printed text, and the only way to apply for a grant was with the translation of a drama that would be published as a book or part of a book. Thus, the system excluded translators who were preparing translations of works of Hungarian drama for readings or performances on stage. The translation grant for theatres and theatre companies addresses precisely this issue. The application process is announced twice a year.
Sample translation grant available to publishing houses
Many Hungarian publishing houses face difficulties catching the attention of publishing houses abroad because they do not have excerpts from the works by the authors they represent available in good translation, as they do not have the funds to cover the costs of translation. The sample translation grant is intended to help address this problem. Any entity representing one or more Hungarian author(s) on the international stage is entitled to apply for this grant (publishing houses and literary agencies with their seats in Hungary or abroad). The application process is announced twice a year.
Grant available to Hungarian authors and their translators
This micro-grant provides support for authors, translators, and scholars of literature who write in Hungarian and who have received an invitation to take part in a literary event, festival, book opening, meeting of writers and readers, or theatre premiere abroad. The application process is continuously open.
Grant for Hungarian translators of foreign language academic prose
Our grant named after Valéria Dienes is an amalgam of the Babits scholarship and our grant addressing career entrant translators. It aims to help the work of translators who attempt to translate a voluminous piece of scientific literature to Hungarian but have not found a publisher yet or lack needed resources. The call for tender is announced two times a year.