The award was presented to the winner by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Latvia, Baiba Braže, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Estonia, Margus Tsahkna, in an official ceremony during the LAMPA Conversation Festival in Cēsis.
The value of the Languages Award is 5,000 euros, made up of equal contributions from the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of the two countries. This year sees the 15th presentation of the award.
Karl Pajusalu has been a Professor of History and Dialects of the Estonian Language at the University of Tartu since 2000. As a linguist, Pajusalu actively engages in many linguistic processes in Latvia and Estonia, lecturing on Estonian at the University of Latvia. He is also a member of the board of directors of the International Society of Livonian Friends. In 2009, with Prof. Eberhard Winkler, Pajusalu compiled a Salaca Livonian language dictionary. Under the penname of Ķempi Kārl, he has authored three books of poetry – “Salats joug kolm aģa” (Three Banks of River Salaca, 2013), “Toini Sina” (Other You, 2013), “Ēzkyrdiz vīzd” (Ways of Closeness, 2023), while being a co-author of “Trilium” and “Trillium 2.0” poetry collections. Pajusalu is believed to be the only contemporary poet writing in the now-extinct Salaca Livonian language. His poems have been translated into Estonian and Latvian.
The Languages Award of the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of Latvia and Estonia was established back in 2010. Its aim is to strengthen bilateral cooperation between the two countries through promoting the learning of and use of the Latvian and Estonian languages, the activity of Latvian-Estonian and Estonian-Latvian translators in translating fiction, political, scientific and other texts.
