The Hanuš Jelínek Literary Competition in Příbram celebrates its 30th anniversary

The Jan Drda Library is announcing the 30th edition of the Hanuš Jelínek Příbram Literary Competition, which is open to young authors aged between 12 and 23. Young authors may submit entries – both prose and poetry on any topic – until the end of April.

Hanuš Jelínek was a distinguished translator, diplomat and a proud native of Příbram. It is his name that lends its title to the literary competition for young authors, which the Jan Drda Library has been organising for three decades. This year, the Příbram Library is announcing the 30th anniversary edition of the competition, under the patronage of the town of Příbram. 

In the early years, ten to fifteen authors, mostly from the Příbram region, took part; over time, interest has grown, and now around a hundred young writers from across the Czech Republic and Slovakia regularly submit their works. 

What are the conditions for the announced 30th anniversary edition of the Hanuš Jelínek Příbram Literary Competition 2026? Young writers are divided into the following age categories: 12–15, 16–19 and 20–23 years.

The theme of the entries is open; participants may submit poetry (up to three poems) or prose (up to six printed pages). The library is accepting original and previously unpublished works in electronic form via email: jelinek@knihovnapribram.cz. As in previous years, the winning entries will be published in an anthology, and the awards ceremony will take place in October this year.

The deadline for entries is 30 April 2026, and further details can be found on the website knihovnapribram.cz. 

You can read about the life and work of Hanuš Jelínek on the Poznej Příbram website. 

Eva Švehlová, DiS.
, press officer
at eva.svehlova@pribram.eu
, City of Příbram, Tyršova 108, 261 19, Příbram I
Tel.: 318 402 240
Mobile: 778 533 946 

The City of Příbram’s official Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/mestskyuradpribram 

Published: 27. February 2026

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