A large number of literary, cultural and editorial awards are announced and presented every year in Barcelona in recognition of poetry, fiction or plays, as well as translations, publishers, book shops or public figures who help support, promote and publicise local and international literature and culture.
The Jocs Florals de Barcelona are presented to the best selection of poems in Catalan on any subject. The origins of this award date back to the 14th century. After their suppression in the 15th century, they were re-established in 1859. Since then, the Jocs Florals went through different historical and political situations that led to changes in the place where the awards were held. They have been held in Barcelona since 1978. The winner is known as the "Poeta de la Ciutat", or “City Poet”.
Every spring, the city’s schools organise the Jocs Florals Escolars in which students take part with their literary creations. Each school selects the works that are to participate, in a second phase, in the Jocs Florals of their District before the participants in the final phase, the Jocs Florals Escolars de Barcelona, are chosen.
Presented by the publishing house La Galera with the sponsorship of Fundació Enciclopèdia Catalana, the Premi Josep Maria Folch i Torres is presented at the artistic event La Nit de Santa Llúcia to novels for girls and boys. Since 1964, the award has promoted the creation of novels for readers aged between eight and twelve. Sebastià Sorribas (1965), Joaquim Carbó (1969), Gabriel Janer i Manila (1975), Oriol Vergés (1979), Joan Barceló (1979), Miquel Obiols (1981), Maite Carranza (1986), Antoni García Llorca (1995 and 2003), Mercè Anguera (2004), David Nel·lo (2010) and Oriol Canosa (2016) are just some of the authors to have received the award.
Since 1968, the publishing house Destino has presented the Josep Pla award to prose written in Catalan. Gabriel Janer Manila (1971), Llorenç Villalonga (1973), Marià Manent (1974), Josep Maria Castellet (1977), Àlex Susanna (1988), Xavier Rubert de Ventós (1991), Sebastià Alzamora (2005) and Llucia Ramis (2010) are but a few of the author to have received the award over the years. The award is presented every year on the evening of 5th January, at the same event as the Premi Nadal de Novel·la award ceremony.
In 2003, the Associació Professional d’il·lustradors de Catalunya created the Junceda awards to acknowledge illustrations produced in Catalonia in all relevant areas. The Junceda awards are divided into the following categories: “Adult fiction books”, “Child fiction books”, “Disclosure and science”, “Front Page”, “Comics”, “Press and magazines”, “Publishing”, “Advertising”, “Animation”, “Future Creators Award” and “Junceda international”.
With no funding from or link to any institution or publishing group, the Lletra d'Or award has been presented every year since 1956 to the best book published in Catalan during the previous year. The award is a letter phi in Greek gold work made by the jeweller Manuel Capdevila. It has been presented to authors such as Salvador Espriu (1956), Josep Pla (1957), Josep Carner (1958), Josep Vicenç Foix (1961), Gabriel Ferrater (1967), Joan Vinyoli (1974), Pere Gimferrer (1978), Blai Bonet (1988) and Quim Monzó (2000).
In 2014, the publishing house Anagrama created the "Llibres Anagrama" collection in Catalan and has presented the Llibres Anagrama award since 2016 for novels written in the Catalan language. Albert Forns and Anna Ballbona were the winners of the first award.
Announced by the Gremi de Llibreters, the Llibreter award has been presented since the year 2000 in recognition of the best fictional work published during the previous year. Since 2010, the award has been divided into the categories of "Catalan Literature", "Other literatures" and "Illustrated Album".
Since 1995, the Cambra del Llibre has presented the Memorial Ferran Lara award to young entrepreneurs from the book sector who are below the age of forty. Among others, it has been presented to the publishers Ignasi Moreta, from Fragmenta Editorial, and Jan Martí, from Blackie Books, and to the team at the La impossible book shop.
In 1998, Òmnium Cultural and Fundació Enciclopèdia Catalana established the Mercè Rodoreda award to replace what was the Víctor Català award. The name of the award pays homage to the novelist and narrator Mercè Rodoreda (1908-1983) and is presented every year to stories or tales written in Catalan.
