Festival laureates

The main award at Druskininkai Poetic Fall is the Jotvingiai Prize, founded in 1985 by distinguished poet Sigitas Geda. Originally, a committee formed of all the previous winners of this prize residing in Lithuania would give it to the authors of the best book or publication of the year. Nowadays, this committee is set up of 4 Jotvingiai, 2 Young Jotvingiai, and a representative of the Ministry of Culture. The Jotvingiai Prize is financed by the municipality of Druskininkai, and since 1998, 4/5 of its sum, as well as the entire Young Jotvingiai Prize, are funded by Lithuania’s Ministry of Culture.

Back in the Soviet era, the 10-ruble prize by Geda, in the background of other awards influenced by Central Committee of the Soviet Social Republic of Lithuania, was a pleasant sign of recognition for those who could not even dream of any kind of courtesy from the state. With the launch of Poetic Fall festivals, Geda agreed to link his founded prize to the event that was meant for all of us. The first one to become Jotvingiai was Henrikas Čigriejus, a skillful poet, who remained on the sidelines all the way through the Soviet epoque, but has never praised any Soviet attributes either.

Winners of the Yotvingians Prize

2025Giedrė KazlauskaitėUž eilėraščių knygą „Marialė“ (Lietuvos rašytojų sąjungos leidykla, 2025)
2024Jurgita JasponytėFor the poetry collection The Universe Sits Down in the Wrong Place (Lithuanian Writers’ Union Publishing House, 2024).
2023Gvidas LatakasFor the poetry collection Islands (Slinktys, 2022).
2022Gintaras GrajauskasFor the poetry collection The Effect of Vanishingly Small Quantities on Megastructures (Lithuanian Writers’ Union Publishing House, 2021).
2021Dainius GintalasFor the poetry collection One Summer’s Hymn (Lithuanian Writers’ Union Publishing House, 2021).
2020Alvydas ŠlepikasFor the selected poetry collection My Father Is Dying (Lithuanian Writers’ Union Publishing House, 2019).
2019Ramūnas KasparavičiusFor the selected poetry collection Poetry (Lithuanian Writers’ Union Publishing House, 2019).
2018Daiva ČepauskaitėFor the poetry collection Terribly Beautiful Poems (Žalias Kalnas Publishing House, 2017).
2017Gytis NorvilasFor the book Sinking (Lithuanian Writers’ Union Publishing House, 2017).
2016Eugenijus AlišankaFor the book Only the Dotted Lines of the Spine (Lithuanian Writers’ Union Publishing House, 2016).
2015Rolandas RastauskasFor the book Lonely Flags (Lithuanian Writers’ Union Publishing House, 2014).
2014Gintaras BleizgysFor the poetry collection When You Sneak Up on Me (Lithuanian Writers’ Union Publishing House, 2014).
2013Jonas KalinauskasFor the poetry collection The Thief of My Garden (Kauko Laiptai Publishing House, 2013).
2012Rimvydas StankevičiusFor the poetry collection Contact with Headquarters (Lithuanian Writers’ Union Publishing House, 2012).
2011Alfonsas AndriuškevičiusFor the book Late Texts (Apostrofa Publishing House, 2010).
2010Viktorija DaujotytėFor the poetry collection Voices in the Mists (Centre for Regional Cultural Initiatives, 2010) and the monographs Life by the Marketplace: A Monograph on Jonas Strielkūnas (Lithuanian Writers’ Union Publishing House, 2008), For the One and Only City: Judita Vaičiūnaitė’s Vilnius (Lithuanian Art Museum, 2009), and The Tragic Field of Love: On Sigitas Geda — From Poetry, Notes and Reflections (Lithuanian Writers’ Union Publishing House, 2010).
2009Valdemaras KukulasFor the selected poetry collection These Skies of Ours (Homo Liber Publishing House, 2009).
2008Aidas MarčėnasFor the poetry collection Dances (Lithuanian Writers’ Union Publishing House, 2008).
2007Almis GrybauskasFor the poetry collection Spiral of Perspectives (Homo Liber Publishing House, 2006).
2006Kęstutis NavakasFor the poetry collection Guessed Flutes (Lithuanian Writers’ Union Publishing House, 2006).
2005Tomas VenclovaFor the poetry collection Intersection (Lithuanian Writers’ Union Publishing House, 2005).
2004Stasys JonauskasFor the selected poetry collection The Voice of Grass (Vaga Publishing House, 2004).
2003Vladas BraziūnasFor the poetry collection Past Imperfect / Imparfait (Petro Ofsetas, 2003); for his Lithuanian translation of Alicja Rybałko’s collection Poems (Lithuanian Writers’ Union Publishing House, 2003); and for compiling and preparing Raimondas Jonutis’s collection Dawn in a Room Without Windows (Lithuanian Writers’ Union Publishing House, 2003).
2002Jonas ZdanysFor the poetry collection Pillars of Smoke (Lithuanian Writers’ Union Publishing House, 2002) and for his translations of Lithuanian poetry into English.
2001Jonas StrielkūnasFor the selected poetry collection The Past Century (Vaga Publishing House, 2001)
2000Alfonsas BukontasFor the selected poetry collection The Fifth Season (Vaga Publishing House, 1997) and for his translations: Bhagavad Gita, a poem translated from Sanskrit (Vaga, 1999); L. Karsavin’s It Is You Who Call Me: Sonnets and Terza Rima, translated from Russian, bilingual edition (Daigai, 2002); and M. Kulbak’s Vilnius, a poem published in Yiddish, Lithuanian, English, French, German, Polish and Russian (Vaga, 1997).
1999Nijolė MiliauskaitėFor the poetry collection Labyrinth of the Soul (Vaga Publishing House, 1999).
1998Marcelijus MartinaitisFor the selected poetry collection Return (Tyto Alba, 1998).
1997Antanas A. JonynasFor the poetry collection Cataract Beneath the Ice (Vaga Publishing House, 1997).
1996Marijus Šidlauskas-JonaitisFor Yotvingian-style poetry criticism.
1995Sigitas ParulskisFor the poetry collection Of the Dead (Baltos Lankos, 1994).
1994Sigitas GedaFor the poetry collection Restoration of Babylon (Vaga Publishing House, 1994).
1993Knuts SkujenieksFor his translations of Lithuanian folk songs into Latvian.
1992Donaldas KajokasFor the book The Dead Sheep (Vaga Publishing House, 1991).
1991Henrikas NagysFor the selected poetry collection Grįžulas (Vaga Publishing House, 1990).
1990Henrikas ČigriejusFor the poetry collection Planting the White Alder (Vaga, Vilnius, 1988).
1989Kazys BradūnasFor manifestations of the Lithuanian spirit in his poetry.
1988Alfonsas Nyka-NiliūnasFor his contribution to the renewal of Lithuanian poetry.
1987Bronius KutavičiusFor the oratorio From Yotvingian Stone.
1986Vytautas P. BložėFor the poem Musa domestica.
1985Kornelijus PlatelisFor the poem A Yotvingian Prayer While Charging the Enemy.

Winners of the Young Yotvingians Prize

2025Dovydas GrajauskasUž knygą „Debreceno gatvės bliuzas“ (leidykla „Baziliskas“, 2025)
2024Simonas BernotasFor the book Fairytale Park (Lithuanian Writers’ Union Publishing House, 2024).
2023Birutė Grašytė-BlackFor the book I Paid with Olive Leaves (Lithuanian Writers’ Union Publishing House, 2022).
2022Ramūnas LiutkevičiusFor the book The Dance Spins the Light (Bazilisko Ambasada, 2021).
2021Nojus SaulytisFor the book SMS Flower (Kitos Knygos, 2020).
2020Ieva ToleikytėFor the book A Red Slippery Palace (Lithuanian Writers’ Union Publishing House, 2020).
2019Ernestas NoreikaFor the book Apollo (Lithuanian Writers’ Union Publishing House, 2019).
2018Greta AmbrazaitėFor the book Fragile Things (Lithuanian Writers’ Union Publishing House, 2018).
2017Vytautas StankusFor the book Drowning Ants (Versus Aureus, 2016).
2016Nerijus CibulskasFor the book Archaeology (Lithuanian Writers’ Union Publishing House, 2016).
2015Mindaugas NastaravičiusFor the book Mo (Tyto Alba, 2014).
2014Aivaras VeiknysUž knygą „Paukštuko liudijimai“ (Lietuvos rašytojų sąjungos leidykla, 2014)
2013Ramunė BrundzaitėFor the book Butterfly, My Friend (Lithuanian Writers’ Union Publishing House, 2013).
2012Indrė ValantinaitėFor the poetry collection Tales About Love and Other Beasts (Lithuanian Writers’ Union Publishing House, 2011).
2011Marius BurokasFor the poetry collection I Learned Not to Be (Tyto Alba, 2011).
2010Antanas ŠimkusFor the poetry collection Season Over (Lithuanian Writers’ Union Publishing House, 2010).
2009Giedrė KazlauskaitėFor the book Songs of Courtesans (Lithuanian Writers’ Union Publishing House, 2008).
2008Dainius GintalasFor the book Boa (Kitos Knygos, 2007).
2007Benediktas JanuševičiusFor the poetry books 0+6: Poem-Objects (Kitos Knygos, 2006) and With Fermented Blood (Naujoji Romuva, 2007).
2006Vytautas DekšnysFor the poetry collection Exceptions (Kitos Knygos / Vario Burnos, 2005).
2005Sonata PaliulytėFor the poetry collection P.S. (Vaga Publishing House, 2005).
2004Donatas PetrošiusFor the poetry collection D from Endurance (Lithuanian Writers’ Union Publishing House, 2004).
2003Agnė ŽagrakalytėFor the poetry collection I Am Getting Married (Lithuanian Writers’ Union Publishing House, 2003).
2002Gytis NorvilasFor the poetry collection Stone-Cleavings (Lithuanian Writers’ Union Publishing House, 2002).
2001Tomas S. ButkusUž knygą-poemą „Mylintis organizmas“ (išleido „Pine Press“ / „Vario burnos“, 2000)
2000Gintaras BeresnevičiusFor poetry in his essayistic writing.
1999Gintaras BleizgysFor the poetry collection Place. North (Vaga Publishing House, 1998).
1998Darius ŠimonisFor the poetry collection Swarm (Lithuanian Writers’ Union Publishing House, 1997).