The Miguel de Cervantes Prize for Literature in the Spanish Language, awarded annually by the Ministry of Culture, is the highest recognition of the creative work of Spanish and Latin American writers whose work has significantly enriched the literary heritage in the Spanish language. This prize, worth €125,000, serves as a public expression of admiration for an author whose body of work has contributed to the enrichment of the Hispanic literary legacy.
Any writer whose literary work is written entirely, or in substantial part, in Spanish may be awarded the Cervantes Prize. Nominations may be submitted by the Academies of the Spanish Language, authors who have won the prize in previous years, and institutions that, by their nature, purpose, or content, are linked to literature in the Spanish language, as well as by the members of the jury themselves. Since its inception, the Prize has been awarded at the end of the year and presented around April 23—the anniversary of Miguel de Cervantes' death—in the Paraninfo of the University of Alcalá de Henares, the writer's birthplace, by Their Majesties the King and Queen of Spain.
Perhaps there is no clearer evidence of the Prize's significance for Spanish-language culture than the splendid list of winners since its first edition in 1975. The winner of the inaugural edition was Jorge Guillén, and since then, 50 authors have been honored. In 1979, the Prize was awarded jointly to Jorge Luis Borges and Gerardo Diego. From that moment on, the rules stipulate that the prize cannot be divided, declared void, or awarded posthumously. The last five winners have been: Cristina Peri-Rossi, Rafael Cadenas, Luis Mateo Díaz, Álvaro Pombo, and, in 2025, Gonzalo Celorio.
Ministry of Culture
