First-ever prose contest opens for authors linked to Selija

The Jekabpils Region Main Library, in cooperation with the Latvian Writers' Union and the Selija branch of the Latvian Librarians' Association, has announced a prose competition called “Selija Prose Readings 2026” for the first time this year. Authors of any age who write prose and have a connection to Selija, one of Latvia's historical regions, are invited to take part. The aim is to encourage new writers to emerge in the region and to give them a platform for publishing their work and starting a literary career.

How to enter

Until 8 November, participants can submit essays, short stories or novel excerpts of 7,000 to 12,000 characters. Entries must be sent to the contest's email address. The theme is “And then there was another occasion…”.

Judging and final event

A professional jury will assess the submissions for their artistic quality. Its members are poet and translator Arvis Viguls, writer Laura Vinogradova, poet and literary scholar Sintija Kampane-Stelmahere, and teacher Kristine Modnika.

The jury will select the authors of the 5–7 best works and invite them to a closing event at 18:00 on 27 November at the Jekabpils People's House. The first-place winner will be announced there. The winner will represent Selija at the “Prose Readings 2026” festival in Riga in early December.

About the festival

The “Prose Readings” festival has been organised by the Latvian Writers' Union since 1995. It has grown from a small event into a multi-day international prose festival, where writers of different generations from Latvia and other countries present their latest works or excerpts from them.