Books
The Jewish Literary Foundation launches a new prize for translated works
The winning translator will receive a £3,000 cash award and be invited to speak at Jewish Book Week 2026
July 18, 2025 09:40
The winning translator will receive a £3,000 cash award and be invited to speak at Jewish Book Week 2026
July 18, 2025 09:40The Jewish Literary Foundation has announced the launch of the inaugural Freudenheim Translation Prize, celebrating excellence in translated fiction and non-fiction into English and highlighting the power of Jewish literature to engage international and diverse audiences.
Recognising the outstanding translations of books with Jewish themes or those of significant interest to both the Jewish and wider community, the prize champions literary craftsmanship, intellectual exchange, and the exploration of Jewish ideas and culture through translation.
Named after the Freudenheim family, who are supporting the award, it is the most ambitious prize launched by the Jewish Literary Foundation to date.
Its goal is to raise the visibility of international Jewish writing and provide English-speaking audiences with access to important and frequently underrepresented texts from around the world.
Open to translators worldwide, the winning entrant will receive a £3,000 cash award.
Publishers, authors and translators may submit works originally published in languages other than English and subsequently translated into English, provided the work engages with Jewish themes, history, identity or culture.
The prize is presented in partnership with the Times Literary Supplement (TLS), which aims to spotlight literary translation as an important force in shaping contemporary culture. As part of this partnership, the winning translator and author will be invited to speak at the Jewish Literary Foundation’s flagship annual festival Jewish Book Week 2026 in a wider event on translation chaired by the TLS.
The inaugural 2026 Freudenheim Translation Prize already boasts an expert judging panel, including journalist, critic, and former Literary Editor of The Independent Boyd Tonkin, journalist and broadcaster Hephzibah Anderson and author and radio broadcaster Rabbi Shoshana Boyd Gelfand.
Submissions open this month, with the long list due to be announced in November, the shortlist in January 2026 and the prize itself presented at Jewish Book Week in March.
Speaking about their motivations for sponsoring the prize, Tom and Leslie Freudenheim, said: “So much of the world’s great literature has been made available to a wide-reading public through translation.
"Our son Adam has spent his publishing career enabling the wide availability of a range of literary works in English translation. Establishing this award in honour of Adam’s milestone birthday celebrates the unity of both his deep Jewish and his professional commitments.”
Claudia Rubenstein, director of the Jewish Literary Foundation, added: “We are delighted to launch the Freudenheim Translation Prize - an exciting new chapter in our commitment to bringing the richness and diversity of Jewish writing and ideas to the widest possible audience through the art of translation.”
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