2025 Translation Awards

As we mark the five-year milestone

As we mark the five-year milestone of the Peterson Literary Fund, our celebration is tempered by the gravity of world events. Our thoughts are with the people of Ukraine as they approach the harrowing fourth anniversary of Russia’s brutal escalation of the war it launched against Ukraine in 2014 — a conflict that aggressively seeks to erase the national identity of an entire people.

Russia’s expansionist war not only poses an existential threat to our rules-based global order, but also seeks to weaponize information to divide democracies from within and, ultimately, to undermine international support for a sovereign, secure, and territorially intact Ukraine. That is why the work of writers, journalists, translators, and publishers is indispensable, and why the Peterson Literary Fund remains committed to supporting this vital community of truth tellers from all corners of our globe.

Since its debut in 2021, the Peterson Literary Fund has undertaken an annual presentation of awards, prizes, and grants, alternating biennially between books in translation and original language editions. Last year, we honoured six finalists and presented the 2024 Peterson Literary Prize for nonfiction to journalist Yaroslav Trofimov for his book Our Enemies Will Vanish.

Our Journey for Truth Project, launched in 2023 as a designated fund in cooperation with BCU Foundation, continues to support researchers, writers, scholars, publishers, and initiatives that challenge Russian imperialist narratives and raise public awareness about the crimes committed by Russia.

This year, we expand our public engagement by presenting the inaugural 2025 Journey for Truth Award to an exceptional international humanitarian. And we bestow our 2025 Translated Book Awards upon four outstanding publications whose authors and translators capture a wide readership, guiding them on a literary quest for truth.

Tonight’s Peterson Literary Fund Awards Gala, held under the auspices of BCU Foundation, truly embodies the dream envisioned by our founding benefactor. Thank you for sharing this special evening with us as we continue to advance our mission together.