The winner of the 2025 Bernard Shaw Prize is SELTA member Agnes Broomé for her translation of Collected Works: A Novel by Lydia Sandgren published by Pushkin Press. The award of the prize was announced as part of the Society of Authors’ annual Translation Prizes celebratory event held at the British Library on 10^th February.

This year’s judges included the now retired SELTA founder member Tom Geddes, current SELTA member Kate Lambert, and the writer and journalist Dea Birkett, who said of the winner:

‘As a first time judge, I was in awe of the role of the translator in this incredible work. Translating is the strangest of jobs, as the more the reader notices you, the less good your work is. Invisibility is your aim. I quickly forgot this was a translated work, and skipped through different voices, eras and perspectives all conveyed with ease and authenticity. I hope this award makes the translator visible again.’

This was the first time that Agnes has been shortlisted for the Bernard Shaw prize, while also being the first time Pushkin Press has featured on the shortlist for the prize. SELTA offers its wholehearted congratulations to Agnes on her achievement. SELTA even received a name check. While accepting her prize, Agnes said:

‘I also want to extend my literally forever gratitude to SELTA […] for welcoming and supporting me when I was a brand new and slightly overwhelmed translator.’

The runner up on the evening was Saskia Vogel for her translation of Hanna Nordenhök’s Caesaria.

The prize is awarded for the best translation into English of a full length Swedish language work of literary merit and general interest, with the winner receiving £3000 and the runner up £1000. Named after the author and dramatist George Bernard Shaw, whose Nobel Prize went towards a foundation for ‘the promotion and diffusion of knowledge and appreciation of the literature and art of Sweden in the British Islands’, the prize was established in 1991 and is now awarded biennially. The next award will be for 2027 (awarded in 2028).

You can watch the full prize ceremony here (and the announcement of the Bernard Shaw Prize here). And finally well done to all the translators who were featured on the shortlist for the 2025 prize as announced last December.