On June 11, 2026, Queen Margrethe of Denmark presented the Prince Henrik Prize. The award ceremony took place in the Garden Hall at Fredensborg Palace. Following the jury’s presentation speech and a musical performance by the Royal Life Guards Brass Trio, Queen Margrethe presented the Prince Henrik Prize and a statuette of Prince Henrik’s sculpture Fabeldyr to this year’s recipient, poet Pia Tafdrup.
Pia Tafdrup received the Prince Henrik Prize in recognition of having enriched Danish literature over five decades with highly accomplished, original, and diverse poetry that explores countless aspects of the human condition. Her work is distinguished by its evocative, sensuous, and precise language, as well as its ability to engage poetically with life’s fundamental questions.
The Prince Henrik Prize is an honorary award of 300,000 Danish kroner given to a contemporary and established Danish poet who has made a significant contribution to Danish poetry. The poetry prize is awarded annually in connection with Prince Henrik’s birthday. This year, the Prince would have celebrated his 92nd birthday.
