Maltese author Immanuel Mifsud (photo) is one of 12 winners of this year’s EU Prize for Literature, which recognises the best new and emerging authors in the bloc.

Mr Mifsud’s winning work, Fl-isem tal-Missier (tal-iben) (In the name of the Father and of the son), earned him €5,000 and the right to have his work published in another official language of the EU.

The competition is organised by the European Commission, the European Booksellers’ Federation, European Writers’ Council and the Federation of European Publishers, and is open to the 36 countries involved in the EU Culture Programme.

Mr Mifsud, 44, started writing poetry at the age of 16 when he founded the literary group Versati. Some of his works have already been translated and published across the EU and in the US. He is also a writer of children’s books.