The Bronze Owl, Award Ceremony (Full)

This year, A-bib Permeke is the host for the festive presentation of De Bronzen Uil, the prestigious prize for the best Dutch-language debut novel. During this sixteenth edition, not only the winner of the professional jury prize, but also the winner of the Readers' Prize will be announced. The laureate of De Bronzen Uil receives a bronze statuette and a cash prize of €10,000. Prior to the award ceremony, visitors can meet the six nominated authors during the literary festival in Permeke. The shortlist was compiled by a nine-member professional jury led by Peter Van den Eede. Meet the nominees: Dominique De Groen – Corpus Britney Met Corpus Britney in Dominique De Groen examines the influence of popular culture, media and image-building on our body and identity. The novel combines a sharp social perspective with an eccentric literary style. Teddy Tops – Egelskop In Egelskop presents Teddy Tops a poignant debut centered around family, origins and personal development. The book was praised for its strong narrative voice and visual style. Tijl Nuyts – Grondwerk Met Grondwerk delivers Tijl Nuyts a novel that couples current social themes with a gripping story. The book explores the tensions between man, environment and future. Jan Wester – Koeman Koeman is the debut of Jan Wester. The novel tells a layered story about ambition, relationships and the search for meaning, with a sharp eye for human vulnerability. Nisrine Mbarki Ben Ayad – Kookpunt In Kookpunt weaves Nisrine Mbarki Ben Ayad themes such as family, identity and cultural connection into a vibrant and contemporary debut novel. Ester Naomi Perquin – Until everything is in motion Poet and writer Ester Naomi Perquin makes her novel debut with Until everything is in motion. The novel is known for its refined language, psychological depth and sharp observations of human relationships. 7:00 PM - 8:15 PM |Uitreiking De award ceremony is presented by VRT journalist Joris Vergeyle, with musical intermezzos by Floris Francis Arthur. 8:15 PM - 22:00 PM |Receptie Na following the announcement of the winners there will be a reception, where visitors can chat with the authors and other literature lovers about a special literary year. Les Âmes Perdues provides the musical entertainment as a musical theater collective. 22:00 - 24.00 PM |Into the night After the award ceremony, the party simply continues. While the DJ keeps the atmosphere going, Don Vitalski welcomes winners, jury members and other guests for his Late Night Live broadcast. Expect engaging conversations, surprising guests and a heavy dose of literary energy. You can follow the broadcast in the Kubus, via the YouTube channel of De Bronzen Uil or on Radio Minerva (98.0 FM).