Literary award · Chile · since 1942

National Prize for Literature (Chile)

Chilean literary award (1942–). Established 1942.

About National Prize for Literature (Chile)

In Chile, the National Prize for Literature (Premio Nacional de Literatura) was created by Law No. 7,368 during the presidency of Juan Antonio Ríos on 9 November 1942. It consists of a lump-sum monetary prize (16 million Chilean pesos, about US$30K) and a lifetime monthly stipend. It was originally awarded every year until the amendments introduced by Law No. 17,595 of 1972, when it became biennial. It is regarded as one of the National Prizes in their homeland. Winners are selected on the overall quality of their works, regardless of genre.

From the Wikipedia article “National Prize for Literature (Chile)”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Recent winners

YearWinnerWinning work
2025Ramón Díaz Eterovic—
2024Elvira Hernández—
2022Hernán Rivera Letelier—
2020Elicura Chihuailaf—
2018Diamela Eltit—
2016Manuel Silva Acevedo—
2014Antonio Skármeta—
2012Óscar Hahn—
2010Isabel Allende—
2008Efraín Barquero—
2006José Miguel Varas—
2004Armando Uribe—
2000Raúl Zurita—

From Wikidata; the list may be incomplete for some years.

Eligibility and entering

Check the official rules of the National Prize for Literature (Chile) for the current eligibility window, accepted formats, residency or language requirements and any entry fee. For most established prizes the publisher submits on the author's behalf, often with a limit on entries per imprint.

If you are self-published, look for an explicit statement that independently published books are accepted, and budget for entry fees and copies for judges.

Sources & data