By Erin L. Cox, Publisher | @erinlcox
Open until September 15, 2026, the Icelandic Literature Center has a translation grant open to foreign publishers wishing to publish a work translated from Icelandic.
The goal of the fund is to promote Icelandic literature abroad and features grants available for literature, general interest nonfiction, comic books, and children’s books.
Any foreign publishers may apply for the grant, but they must already have acquired the rights to the work and signed a contract with a translator.
In 2026, there is a special emphasis on supporting the translation of children’s and YA books into foreign languages with those grants covering 70% of translation costs (up to 500,000 ISK) as well as the possibility of partial funding of printing costs for illustrated children’s books.
Those looking to apply for the grant must fill out an application here. These applications are accepted based on the quality of the work in question and on the translator’s qualifications – they must have at least one translated work published in the same genre of the work for which the support is being sought.
The translation fund is to support the work of the translator, so is based, in part on the agreed upon fee.
Applicants will be informed of the committee’s decision no more than 6 weeks after the deadline via email. The Icelandic Literature Center must be acknowledged in connection with any publication for which funding has been received. The Icelandic Literature Center‘s logo must be printed on the Colofon page of the translated work.
For more information about the grant, visit the website here.