The Dar Prize is based on the principle that Russian-language literature is an integral part of global culture. It is an international prize that exists over state borders in the space of the Russian language. The Dar Prize is a grant to translate the winner's work into English, French and German.

The prize owes its name to Vladimir Nabokov's novel of the same name, a prose masterpiece of the first half of the last century, which was born as a result of the terrible upheavals experienced by Russia, which threw a significant part of cultural creators out of their native country. 

Works in Russian are accepted for the Prize, regardless of the author's citizenship or place of residence:

• works written by writers who have left Russia;
• created by those left in Russia - against all odds;
• works by Russian-speaking authors originally associated with other countries of residence. 

This difference of positions and identities is not only the wealth of Russian-language literature, but also the guarantee that no state can appropriate it for itself.

The prize considers both fiction (novels, novellas, short story collections) and non-fiction, which focus on modernity and its issues. Taking into account the diversity of artistic practices and aesthetic attitudes, the mobility and blurring of genre boundaries in today's literary field, the Prize considers fiction and non-fiction works in the same line. In the case of non-fiction, the determining factor is the artistic significance of the text. In other words, we are talking about texts that go beyond academic, scientific or political discourse, i.e. defined by the general concept of “prose”.

Texts published in publishing houses or periodicals in 2024 are eligible for the prize. Manuscripts will not be accepted.

Works may be nominated for the prize by publishing houses, editors of periodicals, writers themselves or third parties. The nomination is subject to the written consent of the author. By giving his/her consent to participate in the competition, the author accepts the basic principles expressed in the Prize Regulations.

The priority goal of the Prize (as emphasized by the prize) is to support the most significant artistic statements by authors who have not yet been translated into the above-mentioned languages.

Submissions to the Prize shall be considered by the following Board of Experts and determines the shortlist (no more than 12 finalists). Jury selects the winner from the finalists.

The Dar Literary Prize application and voting procedure.