TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Three writers writing in the regional languages of Sundanese, Javanese, and Balinese received the 2026 Rancage Literary Prize for books published in 2025. The Rancage Cultural Foundation will award each winner with a certificate and a cash prize of Rp7.5 million.
The winner for Sundanese literature was Ari Andriansyah for his poetry collection "Urat Jagat," followed by Ki Sudadi for his short story collection "Angel Cilik." The winner for Balinese literature was Ketut Sugiarta, who wrote the novel "Lampah Sang Pragina" (The Dancer's Journey).
Etti RS, Chairperson I of the Rancage Cultural Foundation, stated that the jury for the 2026 Rancage Literary Prize considered 57 titles, an increase of three titles from the previous year. The winners included 17 Sundanese literary works, 25 Javanese literary works, 12 Balinese literary works, and three Batak literary works.
However, according to Etti, only books in Sundanese, Javanese, and Balinese were evaluated by the jury. "None of the books in Lampung, Batak, Madurese, and Banjar literature have yet met the requirements for this year's prize," she said while reading the decision for the 38th Rancage Literary Prize at the Ajip Rosidi Library Building in Bandung on Saturday, January 31, 2026.
Ajip Rosidi's photo and book exhibition at the Ajip Rosidi Library Building, Bandung, January 27, 2026. Tempo/Anwar Siswadi
She hopes that in the coming year, more books will be published from various regions. According to Etti, it is possible that manuscripts or prospective books will be evaluated not only for books, but also for manuscripts. "This is to anticipate the difficulties authors face in publishing books," she said.
In the judging process, the winners competed against works from other literary works. The top works in the Sundanese literature category were the short story collection "Buta Linglung" by Nena Cunara and the poetry collection "Lokatmala" by Nita Widiati Efsa.
Meanwhile, in Javanese literature, the nominees are Kang Ansorik, who wrote the geguritan anthology entitled Ngutug Ati. Then there's the short story anthology titled Hotel Indah by Bambang Nugroho, and the novel DhaBenSu (Dhadhung Benang Sutra) by Narko Sodrun Budiman.
The discussion took place at the Ngalap Ajip event at the Ajip Rosidi Library Building, Bandung, January 27, 2026. Tempo/Anwar Siswadi
Furthermore, the Rancage Cultural Foundation awarded the Meritorious Service Prize to Aan Merdeka Permana, an author born in Bandung on November 16, 1950. The award recognizes individuals or institutions deemed to have made significant contributions to the development of regional languages and literature. Given since 1990, the award was discontinued in 2018 and resumed in 2025.
This annual award, presented continuously since 1989 as a token of appreciation for the development of regional literature in Indonesia, is a legacy of the late writer and cultural figure Ajip Rosidi, who passed away on July 29, 2020, at the age of 82. To accompany the announcement of the Rancage Literary Prize, the bookworm community held a special event, "Ngalap Ajip," at the Ajip Rosidi Library Building in Bandung from January 14 to February 1, 2026.
The library, founded in 2015, houses thousands of Ajip's books, brought from his home in Pabelan, Magelang, Central Java, for public access. According to the committee chairperson, Hafidz Azhar, the event aimed to acknowledge the good deeds of Ajip Rosidi. "It was also a way of thanking him for the library building and his works," he said on Thursday, January 29, 2026. They held a photo and artwork exhibition, published books, and discussions on various topics related to Ajip Rosidi.
Read: What to Know About Prague Library's Iconic Book Tower
Click here to get the latest news updates from Tempo on Google News
