The prize is hosted by the Icelandic Association of Translators and Interpreters, with the support of The Writer’s Union of Iceland and the Association of Icelandic Publishers. It is awarded by the president of Iceland in February of every year.
2024
Jón Erlendsson: Paradísarmissir (Paradise Lost) by John Milton (Mál og menning)
Other Nominated Translations
Áslaug Agnarsdóttir: Gráar býflugur (Seryje ptsjoly) by Andrej Kúrkov (Bjartur )
Gyrðir Elíasson: Grafreiturinn í Barnes (The cemetery in Barnes) by Gabriel Josipovici (Dimma)
Hallur Páll Jónsson: Mæður og synir (Mödrar och söner) by Theodor Kallifatides (Dimma)
Heimir Pálsson: Lokasuðan (Pölsan) by Torgny Lindgren (Ugla)
Jón Erlendsson: Paradísarmissir (Paradise Lost) by John Milton (Mál og menning)
Pálína S. Sigurðardóttir: Andkristur (Der antichrist : fluch auf das christentum) by Friedrich Nietzsche (Lærdómsrit Bókmenntafélagsins)
Uggi Jónsson: Orðabók hinna týndu orða (The dictionary of lost words) by Pip Williams (Mál og menning)
2023
Pétur Gunnarsson: Játningar (Les confessions) by Jean-Jacques Rousseau (Mál og menning)
Other Nominated Translations
Árni Óskarsson: Drag plóg þinn yfir bein hinna dauðu (Prowadź swój plug przez kości umarłych) by Olga Tokarczuk (Bjartur )
Friðrik Rafnsson: Svikin við erfðaskrárnar: Ritgerð í níu hlutum (Les testaments trahis) by Milan Kundera (Ugla )
Heimir Pálsson: Norrlands Akvavit by Torgny Lindgren (Ugla)
Jón St. Kristjánsson: Uppskrift að klikkun (Wie der Wahnsinn mir die Welt erklärte) by Dita Zipfel (Angústúra)
Silja Aðalsteinsdóttir: Aðgát og örlyndi (Sense and sensibility) by Jane Austen (Mál og menning)
Soffía Auður Birgisdóttir: Útlínur liðins tíma eftir (A sketch of the past) Virginia Woolf (Una útgáfuhús)
2022
Gunnar Þorri Pétursson: Tsjernobyl-bænin, framtíðarannáll (Tsjernobylskaja molitva : khronika búdúshsjego) by Svetlana Aleksíevítsj (Angústúra)
Other Nominated Translations
Ásdís R. Magnúsdóttir: Fríða og dýrið, franskar sögur og ævintýri fyrri alda. Various Authors (Háskólaútgáfan)
Hallgrímur Helgason: Hjartað mitt (Dans mon petit coeur) by Jo Witek og Christine Roussey (Drápa )
Jóhann Hauksson: Rannsóknir í heimspeki (Philosophische Untersuchungen) by Ludwig Wittgenstein (Háskólaútgáfan)
Jón St. Kristjánsson: Glæstar vonir (Great expectations) by Charles Dickens (Mál og menning)
Jón Hallur Stefánsson: Ef við værum á venjulegum stað (Si viviéramos en un lugar normal) by Juan Pablo Villalobos (Angústúra)
Sólveig Sif Hreiðarsdóttir: Á hjara veraldar (Where the world ends) by Geraldine McCaughrean (Kver )
2021
Guðrún Hannesdóttir: Dyrnar (Az ajtó) by Magda Szabó (Dimma)
Other Nominated Translations
Aðalsteinn Ásberg Sigurðsson: 43 smámunir (43 bagatellir) by Katrin Ottarsdóttir (Dimma)
Heimir Pálsson: Leiðin í Klukknaríki (Vägen till Klockrike) by Harry Martinson (Ugla)
Magnús Sigurðsson: Berhöfða líf (selected poetry) by Emily Dickinson (Dimma)
Sigrún Eldjárn: Öll með tölu (Alle sammen teller) by Kristin Roskifte (Vaka-Helgafell)
Þórarinn Eldjárn: Hamlet by William Shakespeare (Vaka-Helgafell)
Þórdís Gísladóttir: Álabókin (Ålevangeliet) by Patrik Svensson (Benedikt)
Jón St. Kristjánsson: Hin ósýnilegu (De usynlige) by Roy Jacobsen (Mál og menning)
Other Nominated Translations
Arthúr Björgvin Bollason: Tími töframanna (Zeit der Zauberer) by Wolfram Eilenberger (Háskólaútgáfan)
Elísa Björg Þorsteinsdóttir: Kona í hvarfpunkti (Emraʼa enda noktat el sifr) by Nawal el Saadawi (Angústúra)
Guðbergur Bergsson: Skáldið er eitt skrípatól. Um ævi og skáldskap Fernando Pessoa (O poeta é um fingidor) by Guðbergur Bergsson and Fernando Pessoa (JPV útgáfa)
Guðni Kolbeinsson: Kalli breytist í kjúkling (Charlie Changes Into a Chicken) by Sam Copeland (JPV útgáfa)
Ingunn Ásdísardóttir: Blá (Blå) by Maja Lunde (Mál og menning)
Þórarinn Eldjárn: Jónsmessunæturdraumur (A Midsummer Night's Dream) by William Shakespeare (Vaka-Helgafell)Gunnar Þorri Pétursson and Ingibjörg Haraldsdóttir: Hinir smánuðu og svívirtu (Únízhennyje í oskorbljonnyje) by Fjodor Dostojevskí (Forlagið)
Other Nominated Translations
Elísa Björg Þorsteinsdóttir: Etýður í snjó (Etüden im Schnee) by Yoko Tawada (Angústúra)
Ingibjörg Eyþórsdóttir: Hin órólegu (De urolige) by Linn Ullmann (Bjartur)
Uggi Jónsson: Sæluvíma (Euphoria) by Lily King (Angústúra)
Einar Thoroddsen: Víti (Inferno) by Dante (Guðrún útgáfufélag)
Hjalti Rögnvaldsson: Þetta er Alla (Det er Ales) by Jon Fosse (Dimma)Elísabet Gunnarsdóttir and Hildur Hákonardóttir: Walden by Henry David Thoreau (Dimma)
Other Nominated Translations
Gyrðir Elíasson: Sorgin í fyrstu persónu (Grief in the First Person) by Ko Un (Dimma)
Jón St. Kristjánsson: Doktor Proktor og gullránið mikla (Doctor Proktor and the Great Gold Robbery) and Getur doktor Proktor bjargað jólunum? (Can Doctor Proktor Save Christmas?) by Jo Nesbø (Forlagið)
María Rán Guðjónsdóttir: Veisla í greninu (A Party in the Burrow) by Juan Pablo Villalobos (Angústúra)
Soffía Auður Birgisdóttir: Orlandó by Virginiu Woolf (Opna)Hallgrímur Helgason: Óþelló (Othello) by William Shakespeare
Other Nominated Translations
Árni Óskarsson: Fjársjóðseyjan (Treasure Island) by Robert Louis Stevenson
Áslaug Agnarsdóttir, Bragi Ólafsson, Magnús Sigurðsson, Olga Hołownia and Óskar Árni Óskarsson: Neyðarútgangur (Selected Poetry) by Ewa Lipska
Ófeigur Sigurðsson: Verndargripur (Amuleto) by Roberto Bolaño
Sölvi Björn Sigurðsson and Sigurður Pálsson: Uppljómanir & Árstíð í helvíti (Illuminations & Une saison en enfer) by Arthur RimbaudBrynja Cortes Andrésdóttir: Ef að vetrarnóttu ferðalangur (If on a winter’s night a traveler) by Italo Calvino
Other Nominated Translations
Aðalsteinn Ásberg Sigurðsson: Nýsnævi – safn ljóðaþýðinga (New Snow – collected poetry in translation) by 15 authors
Ásdís R. Magnúsdóttir: Rangan og réttan – þrjú ritgerðarsöfn (The Right and the Wrong – three essay collections) by Albert Camus
Jón Hallur Stefánsson: Spámennirnir í Botnleysufirði (The Prophets of Eternal Fjord) by Kim Leine
Silja Aðalsteinsdóttir: Grimm’s Fairy Tales, retold by Philip PullmanGyrðir Elíasson: Listin að vera einn (The Art of Being Alone) by Shuntaro Tanikawa
Other Nominated Translations
Herdís Hreiðarsdóttir: Út í vitann (To the Lighthouse) by Virginia Woolf
Hermann Stefánsson: Uppfinning Morles (The Invention of Morel) by Adolfo Bioy Casares
Jón St. Kristjánsson: Náðarstund (Burial Rites) by Hannah Kent
Silja Aðalsteinsdóttir: Lífið að leysa (For Your Life) by Alice MunroIngunn Ásdísardóttir: Ó - Sögur um djöfulskap (Ó : søgur um djevulskap) by Carl Jóhan Jensen
Other Nominated Translations
María Rán Guðjónsdóttir: Rödd í dvala (La voz dormida) by Dulce Chacón
Njörður P. Njarðvík: Ljóð Thomasar Tranströmer (A collection of poetry by Thomas Tranströmer)
Rúnar Helgi Vignisson: Sem ég lá fyrir dauðanum (As I Lay Dying) by William Faulkner
Stefán Steinsson: Rannsóknir (Ietopiai) by HerodotusKristín Guðrún Jónsdóttir: Svarti sauðurinn og aðrar fabúlur (La oveja negra y demás fábulas) by Augusto Monterroso
Other Nominated Translations
Þórdís Gísladóttir: Allt er ást (Och allt skall vara kärlek) by Kristian Lundberg
Sigurður Karlsson: Ariasman (Ariasman) by Tapio Koivukari
Aðalsteinn Ásberg Sigurðsson: Hjaltlandsljóð (Collection of poetry by nine contemporary poets from The Shetland Isles)
Sigrún Árnadóttir: Sár hlær best sagði pabbi (Skratta lagom! sa pappa Åberg) by Gunilla BergströmGyrðir Elíason: Tunglið braust inn í húsið (A collection of translated poems from various countries)
Other Nominated Translations
Bjarni Jónsson: Andarsláttur (Atemschaukel) by Herta Müller
Hermann Stefánsson: Fásinna (Insensatez) by Horacio Castellanos Moya
Pétur Gunnarsson: Regnskógarbeltið raunamædda (Tristes tropiques) by Claude Lévi-Strauss
Jón St. Kristjánsson: Reisubók Gúllivers (Gulliver's travels) by Jonathan SwiftErlingur E. Halldórsson: Gleðileikurinn guðdómlegi (La divina commedia) by Dante Alighieri
Other Nominated Translations
Atli Magnússon: Silas Marner by George Eliot
Njörður P. Njarðvík: Vetrarbraut (Vintergata) by Kjell Espmark
Óskar Árni Óskarsson: Kaffihús tregans (The Ballad of the Sad Café) by Carson McCullers
Þórarinn Eldjárn: Lér konungur (King Lear) by William ShakespeareKristján Árnason: Ummyndanir (Metamorphoses) by Ovid
Other Nominated Translations
Elísa Björg Þorsteinsdóttir: Málavextir (Case histories) by Kate Atkinson
Guðbergur Bergsson: Öll dagsins glóð (All the Day's Embers, a collection of Portuguese poetry 1900 - 2008)
María Rán Guðjónsdóttir: Kirkja hafsins (La catedral del mar) by Ildefonso Falcones
Sigurður Karlsson: Yfir hafið og í steininn (Over the Sea and into the Stone) by Tapio KoivukariHjörleifur Sveinbjörnsson: Apakóngur á Silkiveginum (A Preview of Chinese Storytelling From Earlier Times)
Other Nominated Translations
Árni Óskarsson: Nafn mitt er rauður (Benim adim Kirmizi) by Orhan Pamuk
Guðrún Vilmundardóttir: Í þokunni (In the fog) by Philippe Claudel
Erla Erlendsdóttir and Kristín Guðrún Jónsdóttir: Svo fagurgrænar og frjósamar (Short Stories from Cuba, Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic)
Sölvi Björn Sigurðsson: Árstíð í helvíti (Une saison en enfer) by Arthur RimbaudEiríkur Örn Norðdahl: Móðurlaus Brooklyn (Motherless Brooklyn) by Jonathan Lethem
Other Nominated Translations
Friðrik Rafnsson: Brandarinn (La plaisanterie) by Milan Kundera
Jón Kalman Stefánsson: Loftskeytamaðurinn (Sværmere) by Knut Hamsun
Sigrún Kr. Magnúsdóttir: Módelið (Modellen) by Lars Saabye Christensen
Sigurður Pálsson: Skíðaferðin (La classe de neige) by Emmanuel CarrèreSilja Aðalsteinsdóttir: Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë
Other Nominated Translations
Atli Magnússon: Nostromo by Joseph Conrad
Ástráður Eysteinsson and Eysteinn Þorvaldsson: Umskiptin (Verwandlung) by Franz Kafka
Fríða Björk Ingvarsdóttir: Dætur hússins (Daughters of the house) by Michèle Roberts
Kristian Guttesen: Brekkan (Skråninga) by Carl Frode TillerRúnar Helgi Vignisson: Barndómur (Boyhood) by J. M Coetzee
Other Nominated Translations
Hallberg Hallmundsson: Báturinn langi (The collected poems) by Stanley Kunitz
Guðrún H. Tulinius: Hæðir Machu Picchu (Alturas de Machu Picchu) by Pablo Neruda
Hjalti Kristgeirsson: Kertin brenna niður (A gyertyák csonkig égnek) by Sándor Márai
Anna María Hilmarsdóttir: Flugdrekahlauparinn (The kite runner) by Khaled HosseiniIngibjörg Haraldsdóttir: Fjárhættuspilarinn (Igrok) by Fjodor Dostojecskí
Other Nominated Translations
Árni Óskarsson: Vernon G. Little by DBC Pierre
Geirlaugur Magnússon: Lágmynd (Plaskorzezba) by Tadeusz Rózewicz
Hjalti Kristgeirsson: Örlagaleysi (Sorstalanság) by Inre Kertész
Sigurður A. Magnússon: Snjórinn á Kilimanjaró (The snows of Kilimanjaro and other stories) by Ernest Hemingway