Inaugural cycle, 2026–27

The National Undergraduate Literary Translation Award

Translate your favorite texts into English. Open to U.S. undergraduates in 8 source languages. Two $500 top prizes; $1,800 awarded in all.

Registration closes December 5, 2026.

Register to enter(opens a Google Form in a new tab)Read the guidelines

Submissions open November 1, 2026. Registration takes 1 minute and does not commit you to submitting.

Key datesInaugural cycle, 2026–27

  1. Submissions open
  2. Registration closes11:59 p.m. ET
  3. Submission deadline11:59 p.m. ET
  4. Finalists contacted
  5. Winners notified
  6. Online ceremony

Key information

  • Who can enter

    Enrolled U.S. undergraduates, 18 or older at the time of submission. All majors and years.

  • 8 source languages

    Translated into English. The list is limited to languages in which we have experienced judges.

    Please write to us with inquiries about other languages.

  • Free to enter

    Just one quick form — drop in your source text and translation to enter.

  • Read anonymously

    Identifying details are removed before your translation reaches a judge, so the work is read on its own terms.

The honors

Two awards — Prose and Poetry — each with its own winner.

NULTA Prose Award

  1. $500

    NULTA Prose Award Winner

  2. $250

    Distinguished Finalist

  3. $50×3

    Special Recognition

NULTA Poetry Award

  1. $500

    NULTA Poetry Award Winner

  2. $250

    Distinguished Finalist

  3. $50×3

    Special Recognition

More about the award and how it began

Read for us

We are recruiting faculty and translators to evaluate anonymized entries. The commitment is 1–3 entries — about 60–90 minutes total — across the January–April 2027 reading period.

For faculty and translators