For the second time, Poetry International is responsible for organising the presentation of the Johan Polak Poetry Prize, one of the most prestigious poetry awards in the Dutch-language literary field. The prize, worth €50,000, is awarded by the Johan Polak Poetry Prize Foundation to the best Dutch-language poetry collection of the past three years.
The Johan Polak Poetry Prize 2026 goes to Sarah de Koning (1992) for her debut collection Tekstielen (2025, Uitgeverij Querido). During the festive award ceremony, she will officially receive the prize. The jury, consisting of Mirjam van Hengel (chair), Sigrid Bousset, Radna Fabias, Wim van Til and Nadia de Vries, unanimously selected the collection Tekstielen.
“De Koning writes poetry that searches for what is difficult to articulate. That made us at times uncomfortable, and it is precisely that feeling that kept drawing us back. Tekstielen does not reveal itself easily, but it also does not feel like a puzzle to be solved. This is due to its musical tone, rich vocabulary and the driving composition that creates momentum and tension.”
With Tekstielen, Sarah de Koning succeeds in inviting the reader to surrender to language, one of the core experiences of poetry, according to the jury.
Together with Poetry International, Sarah de Koning has curated a special programme featuring performances by Sasja Janssen (winner of the 2024 Johan Polak Poetry Prize), Iduna Paalman and Arno Van Vlierberghe. The programme is directed by Yahmani Blackman and hosted by Ronald Giphart.
