Playrix billionaire couple Daria and Dmitri Bukhman are to sponsor the International Booker Prize with £1.4mn over 10 years. The gift will rename the award the Bukhman International Booker Prize and double the winning purse to £100,000, split equally between author and translator. This move comes as the prize seeks stability amid declining cultural funding and seeks to amplify translated fiction’s global reach. The couple’s $9.5bn net worth, amassed through their gaming empire Playrix, underpins the commitment. Playrix, which scaled from a Russian startup to a $2.6bn revenue company during the pandemic, shifted focus to support highbrow arts. Gaby Wood, Booker Prize chief, called the deal “a chance to reshape literature’s future by elevating cross-cultural stories.”

The Bukhmans’ philanthropy reflects personal ties to translated works. Daria Bukhman, raised in provincial Russia, credits translated fiction with broadening her worldview. The donation also addresses urgent challenges in the translation sector, including cost pressures and AI’s disruptive potential. Playrix’s success—driven by hits like *Gardenscapes*—highlights how mass-market entertainment can fund niche cultural causes. The prize’s original £50k pots may now serve as a stepping stone to higher visibility, mirroring trends where award wins boost book sales. This year’s winner, *Taiwan Travelogue*, saw sales triple after its award, underscoring the prize’s economic impact.

The partnership could reshape literary ecosystems. With 20% of Mc Nally Jackson’s top 10 titles being translated works, the prize’s renewed focus may accelerate demand for quality translations. Experts note AI tools could aid translators but also risk homogenizing work. The Bukhman prize’s 10-year commitment signals long-term confidence in literature’s role amid tech-driven shifts. For investors, it marks a rare convergence of tech wealth and cultural stewardship. Critics might question whether such funding dilutes the prize’s artistic integrity, but the Bukhmans emphasize their goal: “strengthening the translation ecosystem.” The deal’s scale—£1.4mn over a decade—positions it as one of the largest sustained sponsorships in literary history, potentially setting a precedent for other tech-driven philanthropy.