SANTO DOMINGO.-The Corripio Foundation, Inc. and the Ministry of Culture of the Dominican Republic presented the 2026 National Literature Award to the outstanding writer Pedro Vergés, in recognition of his literary career of excellence and his invaluable contribution to contemporary Dominican literature.
The award was granted to him for the exemplary prose that characterizes his work, supported by an impeccable command of the language, as well as for his solid contribution to national literature through fundamental works, among them a novel distinguished with two important awards in Spain, “Only ashes you will find (bolero)”.
Likewise, the depth and rigor of his work as a literary researcher and essayist is recognized, which have enriched critical thinking and intellectual creation in the country.
This recognition honors the literary work of a lifetime and consists of a diploma, issued and signed by the Minister of Culture, Mr. Roberto Ángel Salcedo Sanz, and by the president of the Corripio Foundation, José Luis Corripio Estrada, as well as a financial award of two million Dominican pesos.
Mandate
In accordance with the provisions of the presidential decree that governs this award, the jury was made up of the rectors of the main universities in the country: Editrudis Beltrán Crisóstomo, rector of the Autonomous University of Santo Domingo (UASD); the Reverend Father Dr. Secilio Espinal, rector of the Pontifical Catholic University Mother and Teacher (PUCMM); the architect Miguel Fiallo Calderón, rector of the Pedro Henríquez Ureña National University (UNPHU); Mr. José Altagracia Hazim Torres, rector of the Universidad Central del Este (UCE); the Reverend Father José Luis de la Cruz Sosa, rector of the Universidad Católica Santo Domingo (UCSD); engineer Arturo del Villar, rector of the Technological Institute of Santo Domingo (Intec), together with the Minister of Culture, Roberto Ángel Salcedo Sanz, as well as Dr. Bruno Rosario Candelier, director of the Dominican Academy of Language, and a representative of the Corripio Foundation.
The recognized
The National Literature Prize, established in 1990, has distinguished the most relevant exponents of Dominican literature. Until the year 2025, this high recognition has been granted to Joaquín Balaguer and Juan Bosch (1990), Manuel del Cabral (1992), Pedro Mir (1993), Manuel Rueda (1994), Antonio Fernández Spencer (1995), Marcio Veloz Maggiolo (1996), Virgilio Díaz Grullón (1997), Lupo Hernández Rueda (1998), Mariano Lebron Saviñón (1999), Víctor Villegas (2000), Carlos Esteban Deive (2001), Hilma Contreras (2002), Franklin Domínguez (2003), Andrés L. Mateo (2004), Diógenes Valdez (2005), María Ugarte (2006), Diógenes Céspedes (2007), Bruno Rosario Candelier (2008), José Alcántara Almánzar (2009), Mateo Morrison (2010), Jeannette Miller (2011), Armando Almánzar (2012), José Mármol (2013), Tony Raful (2014), Roberto Marcallé Abreu (2015), Ángela Hernández (2016), Federico Henríquez Gratereaux (2017), Manuel Salvador Gautier (2018), Manuel Matos Moquete (2019), León David (2020), Manuel Mora Serrano (2021), Soledad Álvarez (2022), Freddy de Jesús Bretón (2023), Juan Carlos Mieses (2024) and Efraim Castillo (2025), all prominent figures of national literature.
To Verges
With the awarding of the 2026 National Literature Prize to Pedro Vergés, the Corripio Foundation and the Ministry of Culture reaffirm their commitment to the recognition, promotion and preservation of the Dominican literary legacy.
In his speech, Vergés stated that “we know well that the literary work has never stopped being a commodity.” “At present there is an inevitable trivialization of the aesthetic fact that will, without a doubt, be temporary, because, in fact, everything passes,” he added.
Other details
—1— Distinction
The National Literature Award expresses institutional recognition of intellectual creation and literary quality.
—2— Foundation
For its part, the Ministry of Culture expressed recognition to the Corripio Foundation for its firm purpose of stimulating the best values of Dominican culture and literature.
