António Manuel Avelar has been awarded for his novel “Irma,” securing 2,500 euros and the work’s publication with a run of up to 300 copies, alongside 10% royalties on the edition, as announced in a press release from the Azores Legislative Assembly.
The debut edition of the prize attracted 400 submissions and also granted an honorable mention to Brazilian author Natanilson Pereira Campos, from Maranhão, for his novel “As Cercanias do Silêncio.”
The inaugural edition, held between January 6 and March 7, 2025, received entries from various Lusophone countries such as Portugal, Brazil, Mozambique, and Angola, as well as Switzerland, highlighting the prize’s reach and impact in promoting Portuguese-language literature.
Luís Garcia, president of the Azorean parliament, stated that “this recognition publicly acknowledges the talent and literary quality of the submissions, reinforcing the prize’s purpose to encourage literary creation in Portuguese.”
In a phone conversation today, Luís Garcia congratulated the winning author, emphasizing “the great merit of the submitted work and the symbolic value of winning the first edition of a prize that aims to honor a major figure in Azorean and Lusophone literature, Vitorino Nemésio.”
Garcia also extended special recognition to the jury of this first edition, which included “recognized figures in the literary and cultural panorama,” such as Eduardo Ferraz da Rosa as president, curator Manuela Bulcão, as well as Onésimo Teotónio de Almeida, Susana Goulart Costa, and Urbano Bettencourt, highlighting “their rigor, seriousness, and essential contribution to the excellence and credibility of this award.”
