The Fjara Literary Prize 2026

Ritstjórn
The Fjara Literary Prize recipients with Mayor Heiða Björg following the ceremony at Höfði.
The Fjara Literary Prize recipients with Mayor Heiða Björg following the ceremony at Höfði.

The Fjara Literary Prize, a literary award for women and non-binary individuals, was presented at a ceremonial event at Höfði today.

The Fjara Literary Prize, a literary award for women and non-binary adults, has now been awarded for the 20th time, and its 11th since the mayor of Reykjavík, a UNESCO City of Literature, became patron of the awards.

Mayor Heiða Björg Hilmisdóttir presented the awards, which promote greater awareness of women's literary works and encourage women writers to pursue excellence.

The award recipients were:

In the fiction category:

Hvalbak by Maó Alheimsdóttir

In the non-fiction and general works category:

Drífa Viðar by Kristín Guðrún Jónsdóttir, Elísabet Gunnarsdóttir and Auður Aðalsteinsdóttir

In the children's and young adult literature category:

Silfurgengið by Brynhildur Þórarinsdóttir

The Fjara Literary Prize recipients 2026
Frá vinstri í neðri röð: Auður Aðalsteinsdóttir, Brynhildur Þórarinsdóttir og Maó Alheimsdóttir. Í efri röð frá vinstri Fríða og Sólveig Thorarensen sem tóku við verðlaununum fyrir hönd móður sinnar Kristínar Guðrúnar Jónsdóttur og Elísabet Gunnarsdóttir.

Award recipients received a flower bouquet and prizes created by artist Kogga.

Selection committee reasoning

Hvalbak by Maó Alheimsdóttir

Hvalbak by Maó Alheimsdóttur is a poetic tribute to land and language. The poems explore the speaker's relationship with nature, especially the glacier that holds both beauty and raw power. The work paints vivid images of an ever-changing landscape where the glacier must constantly retreat, leaving behind blackened rocks — whale backs. The poems feature unexpected word choices that weave scholarly terms together with poetic language in a strikingly fresh way. This is masterfully done.

Drífa Viðar by Kristín Guðrún Jónsdóttir, Elísabet Gunnarsdóttir and Auður Aðalsteinsdóttir

The world is a great working brain. We are the hand in this brain and we work what the brain shows us," wrote the multitalented artist Drífa Viðar about humanity and creativity in a letter from Paris in 1947. The story of Drífa and her work in visual arts and literature, philosophy and social activism is finally available in an exceptionally beautiful and carefully crafted book. The book is rich with sources, correspondence and contemporary perspectives that provide insight into the society Drífa Viðar helped shape and the relevance her work still holds today.

Silfurgengið by Brynhildur Þórarinsdóttir

Being 15 comes with turmoil, and in Silgurgengið, Brynhildur Þórarinsdóttir draws a heartfelt portrait of teenager Sirryley. She wrestles with life's big issues: partying, boys and friendship drama, along with diving into genealogy with the nerds. The spark is a brooch her grandmother gave her as a birthday gift that tells the story of three generations of Sigríðurs. Silfurgengið is a sincere and engaging story that shows readers what has changed and what always stays the same.

The selection committees consisted of:

Fiction:

  • Jóna Guðbjörg Torfadóttir, secondary school teacher
  • Sigrún Birna Björnsdóttir, secondary school teacher
  • Unnur Steina Knarran Karls, literary scholar

Non-fiction and general works:

  • Brynja Helgu Baldursdóttir, Icelandic studies specialist
  • Hulda Steingrímsdóttir, environmental scientist
  • Sólveig Ásta Sigurðardóttir, postdoctoral researcher in literary studies

Children's and young adult literature:

  • Helga Birgisdóttir, assistant professor of Icelandic
  • Júlía Margrét Sveinsdóttir, literary scholar
  • Sunna Skúladóttir, Icelandic studies scholar