Major change to the Santa Lucía Night: it moves to March and grows with new prizes

BarcelonaIt's been 75 years since Josep M. Cruzet, founder of the Librería Catalònia and editor of SelectaHe promoted a literary competition to give visibility to Catalan-language writing at a time—the immediate post-war period—when the two main awards, the Navidad and the Ciudad de Barcelona, were in Spanish. In that first edition, in 1951, of the Noche de Santa Lucía (Night of Saint Lucy), still held clandestinely, the Joanot Martorell Prize was awarded to The narrow street, of Josep PlaSince then, the Night of Saint Lucy has been celebrated every year on December 13th, but the literary festival has been evolving. The latest of these changes was announced this Monday at noon at the Institute of Catalan Studies (IEC) by Xavier Antich, president of Òmnium Cultural, the organization behind the event: from now on, the festival will move to March and will expand with the announcement of new awards—such as the Òmnium Prize for comics and literary works—for the best novel of the year. The new Night of Saint Lucy will be called the Night of Catalan Letters, and the next edition will be held on Saturday, March 14th in the Oval Room of the National Art Museum of Catalonia (MNAC) and will be broadcast live on TV3. "It will be a great iconic event that should serve as a powerful platform for our literature," said Xavier Antich. "To make this possible, we are announcing a major alliance with authors, publishers, translators, booksellers, and libraries—all the players in the book industry." The Catalan Institute of Publishers (IEC) has also joined. "We are thrilled to be involved because it celebrates one of the best moments for authors who write in Catalan," said Teresa Cabré, president of the Institute. "It is generous of Òmnium to have offered us the opportunity to organize this grand celebration with them, especially considering that the Night of Santa Llúcia is already in full swing. It also brings together many of the stakeholders involved in the promotion of Catalan literature."

Sant Jordi, better endowed than ever before

During the new Night of Catalan Letters, the main annual awards will continue to be presented: the flagship prize, the Sant Jordi Prize for novels—which will now be endowed with 75,000 euros and will reinstate the finalist category with 10,000 euros—the Mercè Rodoreda Prize for short stories, the Carè Prize for young adult novels, the Folch i Torres Prize for children's literature, and the Joan B. Cendrós Prize, which recognizes initiatives, groups, or individuals who have contributed to the internationalization of the Catalan language, culture, and nation. "We will also announce the Òmnium Prize for the best novel of the year, endowed with 25,000 euros, which until now we announced in February," said Xavier Antich. Teresa Cabré listed the new awards that will be presented during the upcoming festival: "We will be adding the Montserrat Franquesa Prize for best translation, worth 4,000 euros; the Vinyeta-Ficomic Prize, worth 2,000 euros; the Àngel Guime Prize, worth 15,000 euros; and also Lo Somni, a prize for emerging authors worth 10,000 euros, sponsored by Penguin Random House." A new award dedicated to thought is still being developed, Cabré revealed. "And we have another one in mind, but that will be for 2027," Antich continued. These are awards with a long history.

In 1960, nine years after the first Saint Lucy's Night, the Joanot Martorell Prize was discontinued and renamed the Sant Jordi Prize, a name it has retained ever since. It is one of the most prestigious and influential awards in Catalan literature, and also one of the most lucrative, currently worth €60,000.

Since 1961, the Saint Lucy's Night has been organized by Òmnium Cultural, which in the early 1970s transformed what had previously been a literary dinner into a traveling celebration held in various locations throughout Catalonia where the organization has a branch. In 2008, the event changed format once again: the literary prizes were no longer awarded at a dinner but were integrated into a show created specifically for the occasion and broadcast live on TV3. The Night of Santa Llúcia continued its tour of the region until 2020, when it settled in Barcelona. Since then, the gala, broadcast on TV3, has been held at the National Theatre of Catalonia.

"The new Night of Catalan Literature aims to promote one of the most powerful literary traditions in Europe today—our own—especially given the internationalization it has experienced since 2007, when Catalan culture was the guest of honor at the Frankfurt Book Fair," explained Xavier Antich. Despite the strengths of Catalan literature and the publishing sector, which currently leads the way in Spain—holding a 53% market share—only 30% of books sold in Catalonia are in Catalan. "There's a lot of room for growth, and this festival aims to be a major gathering of all stakeholders in the sector, showcasing the power of Catalan literature in a festive atmosphere," he added.

"An event like this will allow us to connect with our existing audience, but at the same time reach new ones," said Rosa Romà, president of 3Cat. "It's important to place literature at the heart of the cultural debate, and to do so from a broad and inclusive perspective, adding such important links in the sector as translation or genres like comics," noted Eduard Escoffet, director of the Institution of Catalan Letters. "This Night of Catalan Letters will be the grand kickoff of the entire Sant Jordi campaign, a unique event on a global scale," concluded Xavier Antich.