Established in 1967 under the umbrella of the Ukrainian National Women’s League of America (UNWLA), the Lesia and Petro Kovaliv Fund continues a nearly six-decade tradition of recognizing outstanding contributions to Ukrainian literature.
Lesya and Petro Kovaliv, originally from central Ukraine, immigrated to Switzerland in the early 20th century. Their legacy lives on through the Kovaliv Fund, dedicated to nurturing and promoting Ukrainian poetry, prose, and nonfiction. Each year, a distinguished jury of respected Ukrainian writers and scholars selects awardees whose work advances Ukrainian intellectual and literary life.
Poetry
Iya Kiva
The Laughter of an Extinguished Bonfire
Iya Kiva, born in Donetsk and displaced by war in 2014, is the recipient of First Prize in Poetry. A member of Ukrainian PEN and internationally recognized poet, Kiva’s work has been translated into multiple languages and honored at numerous literary festivals, including the 2024 Women in Arts. The Resistance Award.
Iya Kiva
Her winning collection, The Laughter of an Extinguished Bonfire (Сміх Згаслої Ватри – Ukr), immerses readers in the emotional landscape of war — loss, displacement, memory, and the fragile persistence of hope. Through lyrical precision and haunting imagery, the collection captures both present devastation and echoes of the past.
Prose
Liudmyla Taran
Scandal (2024)
Liudmyla Taran, journalist, poet, prose writer, and literary scholar, receives First Prize in Prose for her 2024 work Scandal. A member of Ukrainian PEN and an accomplished cultural leader, Taran’s body of work spans poetry, fiction, and literary scholarship.
Liudmyla Taran
The jury described Scandal as:
“A mosaic of women’s portraits presented with remarkable craftsmanship and the courage to break any taboo.”
Through layered storytelling and psychological nuance, the work examines contemporary womanhood with artistic boldness and narrative precision.
In December 2025, UNWLA National Culture Chair Oksana Piaseckyj hosted an online meeting with Liudmyla Taran and Iya Kiva, moderated by Vasyl Makhno, a renowned poet and Chair of the Kovaliv Award Jury for Poetry and Prose.
We invite you to listen to this insightful conversation about the realities and challenges of modern Ukrainian literature.
Through the Kovaliv Prize, UNWLA reaffirms its enduring commitment to advancing Ukrainian literature and intellectual life. By honoring works that confront war, ecology, memory, and identity, the 2025 laureates embody the power of literature to document, challenge, and sustain a nation in times of profound transformation.
