Miguel de Cervantes Prize Facts for Kids

The Miguel de Cervantes Prize (called Premio de Literatura en Lengua Castellana Miguel de Cervantes in Spanish) is a very important award given each year to a great writer who writes in the Spanish language. Many people think it's the most famous and valuable prize for Spanish literature in the world!

Quick facts for kids Miguel de Cervantes Prize
Medal of the Miguel de Cervantes Prize
Presented by	Ministry of Culture
Country	Spain
Reward	€125,000
First awarded	1976

About the Prize
Laureates (Winners)
Laureates by Country
Images for kids
See also

About the Prize

The Cervantes Prize was created in 1975 by the Ministry of Culture of Spain. The first award was given out the next year, in 1976. The winner receives a large sum of money, 125,000 euros, which makes it one of the richest literary prizes in the world!

This award celebrates authors from any country where Spanish is spoken. It recognizes all the amazing work a writer has done throughout their life. The prize is named after Miguel de Cervantes, a famous Spanish writer who wrote the classic book Don Quixote.

Who Can Win?

Writers are suggested for the prize by groups like the Royal Spanish Academy. The winners are chosen for their novels, poems, short stories, essays, translations, philosophy, or plays. Sometimes, they are even chosen for a mix of these! As of 2024, 50 people have received the Miguel de Cervantes Prize.

Women Winners

It's interesting to know that out of the 50 awards given so far, only six have gone to women. The first woman to win was the Spanish writer María Zambrano (1904-1991) in 1988.

The Cervantes Prize and the Nobel Prize

Some writers are so talented that they win more than one major award! Three of the 50 winners of the Cervantes Prize have also won the Nobel Prize in Literature.

Octavio Paz won the Cervantes Prize in 1981 and the Nobel Prize in 1990.
Mario Vargas Llosa received the Cervantes Prize in 1994 and the Nobel Prize in 2010.
Camilo José Cela won the Nobel Prize in 1989 and then the Cervantes Prize in 1995.

Laureates (Winners)

Many incredible writers have won the Miguel de Cervantes Prize over the years. You can find the full list of all the winners on the official Premio 'Miguel Cervantes' website.

Laureates by Country

The Cervantes Prize has been awarded to writers from many different Spanish-speaking countries. Spain has had the most winners, with 26 laureates. Mexico comes next with 6 winners, and Argentina has had 4. Other countries like Chile, Cuba, and Uruguay have each had 3 winners. Countries like Colombia, Nicaragua, Paraguay, Peru, and Venezuela have each had one winner.