Bergen 2020 International Essay Competition for Non-Fiction and Fiction

The Bergen International Literary Festival for Non-Fiction and Fiction is held in February every year in the Norwegian city of Bergen and attracts writers from every continent. We are looking for new, excellent writing and are pleased to announce the Bergen International Essay Competition open to everybody under the age of 30.

Theme: My generation

What characterises your generation? Write an essay from your standpoint. What encourages you, what enrages you?

• Table of Content
• About Bergen
• Bergen International Essay Competition
• Aim and Benefits of Bergen International Essay Competition
• Requirements for Bergen International Essay Competition Qualification
• Interview date, Process and Venue for Bergen International Essay Competition
• Application Deadline
• How to Apply

About Bergen

The very best in international and Norwegian literature will be on show at the Bergen International Literary Festival for non-fiction and fiction (LitFestBergen). You’ll be able to discover new non-fiction and fiction from all parts of the world. Authors who’ve never visited Norway before will be attending. Many of them have still not had their work translated into Norwegian.

Bergen International Essay Competition

Aim and Benefits of Bergen International Essay Competition

The winner will receive EUR 2 500. 

Three runners up each receive EUR 500. 

The winning essay and the runners up will be published both online and in a printed format.

Requirements for Bergen International Essay Competition Qualification

We give equal emphasis to literary quality and content. The winner and runners up will be announced at the Bergen International Literary Festival on 11-14 February 2021.

• One entry per contestant
• The contestant must be born in 1990 or later
• The essay can be written in any language, but a translation into English must be provided with the original text 
• The essay must be no more than 2000 words in the English version

Interview date, Process and Venue for Bergen International Essay Competition

The jury will base its evaluation on the English version.

Jury:

• Alisa Ganieva (Russia), author
• Leila Guerriero (Argentina), author and journalist
• Sandra Lillebø (Norway), author and critic
• Daniel Medin (USA/France), editor and professor at the American University of Paris
• Jonny Steinberg (South Africa/UK), author and professor at the University of Oxford
• Ece Temelkuran (Turkey), author and commentator

Application Deadline

How to Apply