The 2025 Taiwan Literature Awards (TLA) for Books winners were unveiled on Oct. 31. This year, the award received 225 submissions, from which 30 works were shortlisted as finalists. Ultimately, “Lightning in July (七月爍爁)” by Lin Chun-ying (林俊頴) won the Annual Golden Grand Laurel Award, while seven works received Golden Book Award, and two were honored for the New Bud Award.
The jury noted that this year’s nonfiction category was particularly impressive, featuring middle-generation writers who demonstrated maturity while continuing to challenge themselves through experimentation with narrative forms and materials.
Set in Beidou Township (北斗鎮) in Changhua County—the author’s hometown—“Lightning in July” explores the complexities of identity and belonging. It has been praised for introducing a new approach to writing native literature set against the backdrop of Japanese colonial rule in Taiwan, blending both Mandarin and Taigi.
The seven winners of the Golden Book Award are “Alpha Scorpii in Summer: Tadao Kano’s Experience Growing Up in Taiwan (流火：鹿野忠雄的臺灣養成)” by Liu Ka-shiang (劉克襄); “Travelling on the Treetops: The Stories From Seven Trees and Field Notes by a Canopy Ecologist in the Past Two Decades (旅行在樹梢：七棵樹的故事，與一個生態學家的二十年樹冠層研究筆記)” by Lan Yung-hsiang (藍永翔); “Gun, Power, Grab, Snap (槍強搶嗆)” by Lien Ming-wei (連明偉); “The Potemkin Village (假城鎮)” by Ma I-hang (馬翊航); “Sleep Early, Don’t Fear Your Fourth Uncle (早點睡。不要怕妳四叔)” by Amang (阿芒); “Anti-Gravity (反重力)” by Huang Chong-kai (黃崇凱); and “A Perfect Day for Heading to Oven (進烤箱的好日子)” by Li Chia-ying (李佳穎).
The New Bud Award, which recognizes emerging writers, went to Lan Yung-hsiang and Fan Jung-ying (范容瑛).
For more information, visit the TLA official website or Facebook page.