Miljana Cunta and Robert Simonišek are the winners of this year's Jenko Prize, Slovenia's top accolade for poetry, in what is one of the few times that the award went to two recipients. Both of them were praised for the ability to take the reader on a poetic journey.

Cunta, 48, was honoured for her collection of poems titled Nekajkrat Smo Zašli, Zdaj Se Vračamo (We Lost Our Way a Few Times, Now We're Going Back), while Simonišek, 47, received the prize for his work Vračanje k Čistosti (Returning to Purity).

Cunta's poetry is born out of mystery and existence, weaving between solemn, transcendental tones and everyday discourse. Her poems steer the reader towards "the word of the origin that belongs to each individual, to humanity and to creation as such".

"There is just enough of everything in this collection of poetry, which is written with subtlety and depth of thought to lead the reader into the mystical and metaphysical spiritual experience" that only innovative poetry can provide, said the jury.

Cunta already received one of this year's Prešeren Fund Prizes for the same collection. She told the STA that writing it was a precious experience. Compared to her previous collections, the process was more carefree and she was able to take her time. Her everyday life played a more impactful role in her latest work, added the poet, who managed major literary festivals in the past and has also worked as a literary translator.

When it comes to Simonišek's poetry, the jury said that "the poet's meticulous description of landscapes, feelings and thoughts is unique and extremely profound".

His award-winning collection is described as "a rich poetic journey where one can glimpse a variety of motifs drawn from the poet's wide-ranging interests and career". According to the jury, it inspires hope that there is still a way to find beauty in a world of uncertainty and distrust.

In addition to being a poet, Simonišek is also a writer of prose, art historian and critic. He ran the Museum of Modern Art as acting director for a short spell from late 2020 to April 2021. That year he won the Rožanc Prize for best collection of essays.

He told the STA: "In a way the collection is also about an insight into one's own life, reflecting through memory, but at the same time it is a crystallization of the present, of a concrete space and time."

The two winners received the prizes at a ceremony in Kranj on 28 October. They will share the prize purse of EUR 5,000.

The annual Jenko Prize is awarded for the best poetry collection of the past two years. Named after poet Simon Jenko (1835-1869), it is presented by the Slovenian Writers' Association (DSP). Last year it went to Blaž Božič for Mleček, Žbunje: Grobovi v Njem (Spurge, Bush: Graves in It).