Premio Planeta · 2024 · Winner
Premio Planeta
2024 Winner
Complete History
About the Premio Planeta
The Premio Planeta is the world's most lucrative literary prize awarded for a work in the Spanish language, offering €1,000,000 to the winner and €200,000 to the runner-up (Premio Planeta Finalista). Founded in 1952 by José Manuel Lara Hernández, the founder of Grupo Planeta, the prize is announced each year on October 15 at a gala ceremony at the Palau de la Música in Barcelona. While it has been criticized for its commercial nature and its connection to its sponsoring publisher, it is undeniably one of the most commercially significant prizes in Spanish-language publishing, producing bestselling novels that are instantly published and widely distributed by Planeta.
Frequently Asked Questions
- The Premio Planeta awards €1,000,000 to the winner, making it the largest cash prize in the Spanish-speaking literary world. The runner-up (Premio Planeta Finalista) receives €200,000.
- The prize is announced each year on October 15 at a gala ceremony at the Palau de la Música in Barcelona.
- Yes. The prize is sponsored by Grupo Planeta, one of Spain's largest publishers, and winning authors are automatically published by Planeta. Critics have questioned whether the prize functions primarily as a commercial vehicle rather than a purely literary one. Some winning authors have been revealed to be already under contract with Planeta.
- The prize is open to unpublished novels written in Spanish. There is no restriction on genre, and the prize has been awarded to thrillers, historical novels, and literary fiction.
- A jury of writers, critics, and publishing figures selected by Grupo Planeta votes on the winner. The jury typically comprises five to seven members.
- Manuscripts are submitted directly to Grupo Planeta under pseudonyms to maintain anonymity during the selection process.
- Yes. In 2021, 'Carmen Mola' won the prize for 'La Bestia,' only for the authors to be revealed as a trio of male Spanish writers using a collective pseudonym, generating significant controversy.
- Opinions vary. Its enormous cash prize makes it highly coveted, but some in the literary world consider it more of a commercial competition than a purely aesthetic one. Several winners have gone on to achieve wide critical recognition.
- Yes. The prize is open to works written in Spanish by authors of any nationality.