7 November 2025
The Gatherers nominated for the Torch-Bearer Prize
To top off this award week, we are thrilled to share that the lauded debut novel by Elli Salo is one of the five nominees for the 2025 Torch-Bearer Prize.
The prize, worth 5,000 euros, is awarded annually to promote Finnish book exports and presented to a title with the most potential to succeed in international markets.
Quote from jury:
“Three Women and a White Volga on Raate Road is a concise and skillfully retold myth about Finland’s border region. Tourists experience war trauma when a bear sniffs a wildlife photographer who has passed out in a swamp. […] What a local story can teach us universally: sharing memories proves to be more significant than the historical layers of the border region.”
Since its release in May 2025, The Gatherers has garnered significant publicity in Finland, earning a round of nominations for prestigious literary awards, including the Helsingin Sanomat Literature Prize and the Finlandia Prize in Fiction. The novel is based on Salo’s play of the same name, which premiered in 2024 at Kajaani City Theatre and was recently awarded the 2025 Lea Prize for Drama by the Finnish Playwrights and Scriptwriters Association.
The winner of the Torch-Bearer Prize will be announced at the Tampere Book Fair on November 30th.
Congratulaitons to Elli Salo and all other nominees!
