The Itzik Manger Prize for outstanding contributions to Yiddish literature was established in 1968, shortly before Itzik Manger's death in 1969.
Manger "was and remains one of the best-known twentieth-century Yiddish poets.
[4][5] The inaugural prize was given to Manger himself at a banquet on October 31, 1968.
The banquet was attended by Golda Meir, then the prime minister of Israel, and by Zalman Shazar, then president.
Subsequently, the prize was awarded annually, sometimes to several writers.