Hertzog Prize
The Hertzog Prize is an annual award given to Afrikaans writers by the Suid-Afrikaanse Akademie vir Wetenskap en Kuns, formerly the South African Academy for Language, Literature and Arts. It is the most prestigious prize in Afrikaans literature.
The prize was first established in 1914 as part of the Tweede Taalbeweging ; its first winner was Totius for his 1915 poetry collection Trekkerswee. The prize is awarded in the categories of poetry, prose, and drama, and was previously awarded in the category of scientific writing.
List of Hertzog Prize winners
Poetry
- 1916 – Totius
- 1926 – A.G. Visser
- 1928 – A.G. Visser ; C.M. van den Heever
- 1934 – Totius ; C. Louis Leipoldt ; W.E.G. Louw
- 1937 – I.D. du Plessis ; N.P. van Wyk Louw
- 1940 – N.P. van Wyk Louw
- 1943 – Elisabeth Eybers
- 1947 – D.J. Opperman
- 1951 – Toon van den Heever
- 1962 – Ernst van Heerden
- 1965 – N.P. van Wyk Louw
- 1968 – Boerneef
- 1971 – Elisabeth Eybers
- 1974 – Uys Krige
- 1977 – Wilma Stockenström
- 1980 – D.J. Opperman
- 1983 – Sheila Cussons
- 1984 – Breyten Breytenbach
- 1987 – T.T. Cloete
- 1990 – Antjie Krog
- 1993 – T.T. Cloete
- 1996 – Ina Rousseau
- 1999 – Breyten Breytenbach
- 2002 – Henning Pieterse
- 2005 – Petra Müller (poet)
- 2008 – Breyten Breytenbach
- 2011 – Johann de Lange
- 2014 – Marlene van Niekerk
- 2017 – Antjie Krog
- 2020 – Johan Myburg
- 2023 – Antjie Krog
Drama
- 1926 – J.F.W. Grosskopf
- 1935 – Henry Allan Fagan
- 1944 – C. Louis Leipoldt
- 1952 – Gerhard Beukes ; W.A. de Klerk
- 1956 – D.J. Opperman
- 1960 – N.P. van Wyk Louw
- 1969 – D.J. Opperman
- 1972 – P.G. du Plessis
- 1978 – Bartho Smit
- 1981 – Henriette Grové
- 1985 – Uys Krige
- 1991 – Chris Barnard
- 1994 – Reza de Wet
- 1997 – Reza de Wet
- 2000 – André Brink
- 2003 – Pieter Fourie
- 2006 – Deon Opperman
- 2009 – Deon Opperman
- 2012 – Adam Small
- 2015 – Tertius Kapp
- 2018 – Pieter-Dirk Uys
- 2021 – Nicola Hanekom
- 2024 – Nicola Hanekom
Prose
- 1917 – Jochem van Bruggen
- 1920 – Leon Maré
- 1925 – Jochem van Bruggen
- 1926 – D.F. Malherbe
- 1927 – Jochem van Bruggen ; C.J. Langenhoven ; Sangiro.
- 1930 – D.F. Malherbe ; G.C. and S.B. Hobson
- 1933 – Jochem van Bruggen
- 1936 – Mikro
- 1939 – D.F. Malherbe
- 1942 – C.M. van den Heever
- 1945 – Sangiro
- 1953 – M.E.R.
- 1957 – Elise Muller
- 1958 – N.P. van Wyk Louw
- 1961 – F.A. Venter
- 1964 – Etienne Leroux
- 1970 – Karel Schoeman
- 1973 – Chris Barnard
- 1976 – Anna M. Louw
- 1979 – Etienne Leroux
- 1982 – Hennie Aucamp
- 1984 – Henriette Grové
- 1986 – Karel Schoeman
- 1989 – Etienne van Heerden
- 1992 – Wilma Stockenström.
- 1995 – Karel Schoeman
- 1998 – Elsa Joubert
- 2001 – André Brink
- 2004 – Ingrid Winterbach
- 2007 – Marlene van Niekerk
- 2010 – Etienne van Heerden
- 2013 – Ingrid Winterbach
- 2016 – Willem Anker
- 2019 – Fanie Naudé
- 2022 – Fanie Naudé
- 2025 – Eben Venter
Scientific prose
- 1943 – J. du P. Scholtz.
- 1944 – C. Beyers.