Prix Laurence 2025

[wpml_language_switcher type= »header » link_current=0 flags=1 native=0 translated=0][/wpml_language_switcher]

The Prix Laurence

Enter the 10th Edition of the Prix Laurence

The Prix Laurence, organized by the municipality of Bettembourg (L) as part of the LiteraTour literary festival, is a competition open to young authors from the Greater Region and Bettembourg’s partner towns of Valpaços (Portugal) and Flaibano (Italy).

Since its inception in 2015, over 880 talented individuals have contributed to the competition’s history, submitting a total of 1,420 texts.

This year, it’s your turn to join the journey!

Share your voice – all genres are welcome, including prose, poetry, songs, rap, theater, and more.

You can express yourself in six languages: English, German, French, Luxembourgish, Portuguese, and Italian.

Applications are open until March 24, 2025, and can be submitted in two age categories: 12-17 and 18-26 years.

Finalists will present their works live in front of the jury and audience on 26 and 27 April 2025, at 11 a.m. at Ciné Le Paris in Bettembourg.

The winning texts will be featured in the 2025 Prix Laurence Anthology.

Jury - Luxembourg

Pit Hoerold

After primary school in Bettemburg and graduating from the Lycée Hubert Clement in Esch/Alzette in 1975, Pit Hoerold studied art. He is a freelance advertising specialist, publisher and musician. As such, he wrote the portrait Cool Feet, déi populärste Lëtzebuerger Rockbänd vun allen Zäiten (2003). He also wrote the booklet on the spelling of the Luxembourgish language Yuppiii, mir léiere lëtzebuergesch schreiwen (1992). He has published articles in Lëtzebuerger Almanach ’87, Les Cahiers luxembourgeois and Eis Sprooch (AL Association).

Pit Hoerold has also published poetry in German. In 2019, the poetry collection in die augen, in die ferne, still ins ohr was published with texts in German, French and Luxembourgish.

In the play En zweete Fabesch Fränz, Pit Hoerold combines his love of theatre and cycling with reflections on national pride.

In addition, Pit Hoerold wrote children’s literature in Luxembourgish, poems, the play Haut as Päiffeneijooschdag, and the story D’Tip an den Top. Pit Hoerold wrote the dialogue for eight songs on the LP de Billy geet op d’Rees. In 2010, the CD Glücksritter was released with a selection of poems recited by the author in German and Luxembourgish. Pit Hoerold is one of the initiators of the Prix Laurence youth writing competition.

Vesna Andonovic

Vesna Andonovic studied culture and communication at Nancy II University and then specialised in film history at the “Institut européen du cinéma et de l’audiovisuel” of Nancy II University.

Vesna Andonovic began her professional career as a teaching assistant at the “Lycée technique du Centre”, then founded a communication agency. Since 2005, Vesna Andonovic is working as a cultural journalist and writes reviews, critiques, glosses, reportages, editorials or interviews mainly in the fields of film, theatre, music, literature, society and culture.

Vesna Andonovic is also involved in the film industry. She has been a member of the jury of the Lëtzebuerger Filmpräis since 2012 and is currently a member of the Film Academy, which determines the annual film prize in Luxembourg. She is also a member of SIGNIS, the World Catholic Association for Communication.

In 2013, Vesna Andonovic published her first short story as an author under the title “Zëmmer Nummer fënnef”.

Jérôme Jaminet

Vesna Andonovic studied culture and communication at Nancy II University and then specialised in film history at the “Institut européen du cinéma et de l’audiovisuel” of Nancy II University.

Vesna Andonovic began her professional career as a teaching assistant at the “Lycée technique du Centre”, then founded a communication agency. Since 2005, Vesna Andonovic is working as a cultural journalist and writes reviews, critiques, glosses, reportages, editorials or interviews mainly in the fields of film, theatre, music, literature, society and culture.

Vesna Andonovic is also involved in the film industry. She has been a member of the jury of the Lëtzebuerger Filmpräis since 2012 and is currently a member of the Film Academy, which determines the annual film prize in Luxembourg. She is also a member of SIGNIS, the World Catholic Association for Communication.

In 2013, Vesna Andonovic published her first short story as an author under the title “Zëmmer Nummer fënnef”.

Christiane Kremer

Christiane Kremer is a journalist and responsible for culture at RTL. As an author, she writes cabaret texts, plays, short stories and children’s books. For the children’s book « So mol, Lobo! » (with Vincent Biwer) she was awarded with the Luxembourg Book Prize in 2019. She co-founded the publishing house « Kremart Edition » in 2013. Her debut novel « De Bicherbus » was published in 2020.

Copyright Foto: Sven Becker

Thomas Schoos

Thomas Schoos, born in Luxembourg in 1981, studied social sciences at Humboldt University in Berlin, then political sciences at the Free University of Berlin, followed by a Master’s degree in Cultural Journalism at the Berlin University of the Arts.

Schoos worked as PR manager, as content strategist, as editor-in-chief, as a storytelling coach at TEDxLuxembourgCity and was head of communications at the Luxembourg research institute LIST. In February 2020, he moved to the Ministry of the Environment as Conseiller de gouvernement.

Since 2005, Thomas Schoos has written as a freelance author for various media, including Tageblatt, zitty Berlin, Berliner Zeitung, RBB/ARD television, Süddeutsche Zeitung. In 2008, his essay An die große Erzählerin won the Cicero University Essay Prize. As an editor, he has been responsible for various publications, including Luxembourg Moderne (2012), E Maufel Lëtzebuerg (2015) and the Guide Auto-Pédestre (2016).

Thomas Schoos writes children’s books. He published his first book « Pelle Svensson and the Republic of Animals » in 2011 and in 2017 « Wooow!!! ».

Antoine Pohu

Antoine Pohu studied history and philosophy, before doing a Master’s in Theatre Studies at the Université libre de Bruxelles.

In 2018, he received the Prix Laurence for the short story Le Masque. After publishing different short stories in Les Cahiers luxembourgeois and other collectif publications. Antoine Pohu is the author of two novels, La Quête (Op der Lay, 2020) and Parfois la nuit se tait (Capybarabooks, 2023), both nominated at the luxemburgish book prize,as well as of the short political text Nous sommes celleux qui marchent dans la ville (Capybarabooks, 2023).

Currently living between Luxembourg and Brussels, he focusses on his writing and different theatre projects.

Sabrina Notka

Sabrina Notka was born in Dortmund (Germany) in 1986. She studied literature and political science and then completed a journalistic traineeship at the « Institut zur Förderung des publizistischen Nachwuchses » in Munich.

At the same time, she worked for various newspapers, radio and television stations. In 2011, she began working as an editor at the communication agency binsfeld and the publishing house éditions guy binsfeld. Today, as content director, she heads the editorial department.

In 2014, her first independent publication « Unter Büchern » (Among books) appeared, which was awarded the special jury prize at the Lëtzebuerger Buchpräis. She also accompanied the creation of a wide range of literary, non-fiction and corporate books.

Nicolas Calmes

Two things were key in the development of Nicolas Calmes and his poetry: video games and skateboarding.

Young Nicolas explored many virtual worlds and one of them was Tony Hawk’s Underground 2. The game introduced him to skateboarding, which changed his life. Besides redefining his sense of self and the way he looks at his environment, skateboarding culture introduced him to punk rock and hip hop. Both influence his writing. His poems are written to a rap beat and characterized by the brutal honesty and inherent criticism of punk mentality.

The Prix Laurence was his foray into the literature scene. His poems got him second place in 2016, and first place and the Prix du Public in 2017. This in turn got him involved in poetry slam. He became national champion in 2022, made it to the finals at the European Poetry Slam Championship and represented Luxembourg at the World Poetry Slam Championship in 2023.

Publisher-shy, he sells DIY-printed versions of his work-in-progress poetry collection out of the trunk of his car.

He studied English at the University of Luxembourg and Arts & Culture at Maastricht University. He freelances for culture dot lu and Radio 100,7.

Jury - Portugal

Anabela Moura Fernandes

Anabela Moura Fernandes has been a teacher at Valpaços High School since 1998. Currently, she is the head of the Portuguese Language School Department. She has a degree in Modern Languages and Literatures – Portuguese Studies – from the University of Porto. She obtained a Master’s degree in Education Sciences at the University « Trás-Os-Montes e Alto Douro » in 2010.

Isabel Ricardo

Isabel Ricardo is a teacher of Portuguese and French in “Agrupamento de Escolas de Valpaços” school. She was born in France where she studied until she got in the “Paris IV Sorbonne” university, In 1991 she got her diploma (DEUG- Diplôme d’Études Universitaires Générales) in Languages and foreign civilisations, namely in Portuguese. Then, she came to Portugal where she took a degree as a teacher of Portuguese and French in the “Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro”university in 1997. In 2012 she took a postgraduate degree in Science of Education, with an expertise in Communication and Educational Technology.

Eliane Maria Fernandes

Eliane Maria Fernandes is a teacher in Valpaços Secondary School since 2009. She graduated in Modern Languages and Literatures- French and English Studies- in 1993, in the University of Coimbra. Currently she is the person in charge of the School Department of Foreign Languages.

Paulo Castro

Senior technician in the Culture Department of Valpaços Municipality, Paulo Castro is currently working in the town library, and participating in the organisation of various events in the county.

He graduated in Portuguese and English teaching as well as in Communication and Science Marketing, with a specialization in Marketing.

Jury - Italy

Rosalba Bruni Lahey

Nata a Subbiano (AR), attualmente residente a Codroipo (UD), e isegnante in pensione, si è lauata in Materie Lettrarie presso l’ Università Statale di Gernova nel 1978, con 103 /110.

Abilitata, dal 1979 ha insegnato in diverse scuole del Friuli Venezia Giulia, dal 1996 al 2005, ha insegnato, in qualità di docente di ruolo, presso la Scuola Media Statale G.Bianchi di Codroipo.

Attualmente, oltre a far parte del direttivo del Caffè Letterarrio Codroipese, si occupa, come referente, del Progetto Martina per le Scuole Superiori e del Progetto Lions Quest per le Scuole di Grado Inferiore di Codroipo per il Lions Club Medio Tagliamento.

Eddi Bazzaro

Laureato in Ingegneria all’Università degli Studi di Trieste.

Insegnante presso l’Istituto Tecnico Industriale « J.F.Kennedy » di Pordenone.

Libero Professionista con Studio in Codroipo.

Vice-Presidente del Caffè Letterario Codroipese

Gaetana Gemo

Dopo le scuole d’obbligo, ho conseguito il diploma Magistrale all’Istituto Caterina Percoto di Udine.

Successivamente, mi sono specializzata nell’insegnamento per bambini con difficoltà di apprendimento.

Ho poi cambiato “mestiere” e mi sono dedicata al settore commerciale dove ho operato per il resto della mia vita lavorativa fino al raggiungimento della dolce pensione.

Ora faccio parte del Direttivo del Caffè Letterario Codroipese con cui collaboro attivamente.

Luisa Venuti

Diplomata Istituto Magistrale “Educandato Uccellis” di Udine.

Insegnante presso Suola a Tempo Pieno di Flaibano.

Presidente del Caffè Letterario Codroipese.

Pizzale Fioravante

Titolo di studio Perito Industriale

Curricola Esperienze lavorative con mansioni di attività Commerciali dal 1991

Titolare di Scuola Guida per patenti di categoria superiori

Commissario e selettore di oltre 500 autisti di autobus per la ATAP di Pordenone

Attualmente Consulente per la Circolazione dei mezzi di trasporto.