The Albertine Translation Fund and Prize 2026 (Session One)
This program aims to promote French and Francophone literature and to encourage English translations of French books in all categories: fiction, nonfiction, children’s books, comics, and poetry.
Learn more about the program below and apply by February 1, 2026.
In 2022, Villa Albertine’s Books & Ideas department and Albertine Foundation launched the Albertine Translation program, an expanded and updated version of the former French Voices program.
Thanks to the support of the Florence Gould Foundation, this initiative rewards high-quality English translations of French works, recognizing both the original text and the translation.
A committee of independent experts—academics, translators, booksellers, and publishing consultants—selects titles that reflect the diversity and vitality of contemporary French literature.
Each selected book receives:
- $2,000 to support publication costs
- Up to $5,000 (50% of translation costs)
- For a maximum of $7,000 per project
The program primarily supports titles published in France within the past 10 years. However, each funding cycle may include one grant for a classic work of French or Francophone literature—a title that has been previously overlooked or is in need of a new translation.
Titles without a U.S. publisher at the time of selection may still be eligible. In such cases, the French publisher has one year to secure a U.S. publishing contract. If no agreement is reached within that time, the grant is withdrawn.
Translators, French Publishers, and U.S. Publishers may apply. The English-language publisher must have an address in the U.S. to receive the grant. Publishers based solely in the UK, Canada or India, for example, are not eligible.
Books published in the U.S. with support from the fund must feature the Albertine Translation Fund logo on their cover or back cover, as well as a credit line on the copyright page (provided by Villa Albertine).
Please download the logo here : AI / EPS / JPG / PNG
Additionally, one Albertine Translation Prize is awarded each year, thanks to the generous support of Van Cleef & Arpels. The prize awards $5,000 to the translator.