The May Star, the poetry book award of the National and University Library of Iceland and the Icelandic Writers' Association, was awarded for the fourth time in May. The May Star for poetry book of the year 2019 was awarded to Jónas Reynir Gunnarsson for his poetry book Þvottadagur.

The jury's comment on the award book states:

"Laundry Day is a very rich and multifaceted book of poetry. The poems are characterized by powerful and moving imagery, and although their subjects are often serious, the wry humor is rarely far from them. This is a strong and well-crafted work that provokes and moves the reader."

Jónas Reynir Gunnarsson was born in 1987. He grew up in Fellabær and studied writing at the University of Iceland. He has previously published the novels Millilendingu and Krossfiski, the award-winning play Við deyjum á Mars and the poetry books Leiðarvísi um Þorp and Stór óliuskip, for the latter of which he was nominated for the May Star and won the Tómas Guðmundsson Literary Award 2017. Millilendingu was nominated for the DV Cultural Award 2017. Þvottadagur is the final chapter of a trilogy that began with Leiðarvísi um Þorp and continued in Stór óliuskip.

Other nominated poetry books were Kärastinn er rjóður by Kristín Eiríksdóttir (JPV); Undrámyð by Sigurlín Bjarneyja Gísladóttir – (Mál og menning); Vellankatla by Þórður Sævar Jónsson (Partus) and Uppreisnir by Þór Stefánsson (Oddur).

Jónas's books, along with the nominated poetry books of the year 2019, are on display at the National Library until December 31, 2020.