Poetry Days award goes to Aleksandrs Baronss, Ieva Ļeščinska and Lāsma Olte
At the closing event of the main programme of the Dzejas dienas 2026 poetry festival, held at the National Library of Latvia, prizes were awarded for the best poetry collection, the best translated poetry collection, and the Domuzīme magazine poetry award.
On September 12, the National Library of Latvia hosted the closing event of the main programme of the "Dzejas dienas 2026" (Poetry Days) festival, where this year's most notable poetry awards were presented.
Three authors were honoured at the event: Aleksandrs Baronss, Ieva Ļeščinska and Lāsma Olte. In total, three prizes were awarded during the evening: for the best poetry collection of the year, for the best translated poetry collection of the year, and the Domuzīme magazine poetry prize, given for an outstanding collection of original Latvian poetry.
About the festival
"Dzejas dienas" is one of the longest-running and best-known literary festivals in Latvia, bringing together poets, translators and poetry enthusiasts every year through events held across the country. The festival's closing ceremony, where its main prizes are presented, traditionally takes place at the National Library of Latvia — a venue that symbolically links the preservation of literature with its ongoing development.
The awards highlight two important strands of contemporary poetry life: original creative work and the accessibility of international poetry in Latvian through translation. The separate Domuzīme magazine prize underscores the role periodicals play in promoting Latvian poetry and supporting new authors. The winners now join the ranks of authors whose contribution to poetry over the past year has been recognised as the most outstanding.
