The Rossica Translation Prize is a biennial award given to an exceptional published translation of a literary work from Russian into English. It is the only prize in the world for Russian to English literary translations.

History of the prize

The prize was inaugurated in 2003 by Academia Rossica and has been presented since 2005. The distinction comes with a cash prize, which is split between the translator and the publisher at the discretion of the panel of judges. In previous years, the prize has been awarded in London on 24 May, the birth date of Saints Cyril and Methodius, creators of the Slavic alphabet. It is now awarded as part of the SLOVO Russian Literature Festival. Excerpts of the winning and runner-up translations are printed in an accompanying Rossica journal. Since 2009, the Academia Rossica has also been awarding the annual Rossica Young Translators Prize for anyone under 25.

Shortlist and winners

The winner is marked with a blue ribbon.

2005

The winner was announced on 15 October 2005. Special commendations were awarded to Michael Molnar and Robin Kemball.

2007

The winner was announced on 25 May 2007. A special commendation was awarded to Robert Chandler, in particular for his translation of The Railway by Hamid Ismailov and also for his lifetime oeuvre of translations.

2009

The winner was announced on 25 May 2009.

2012

The winner was announced on 23 May 2012. Also, a special commendation for the variety and quality of their translations was awarded to Hugh and Galya Aplin.

2014

The shortlist was announced on 28 February 2014. The winner was announced on 21 March 2014.