Cristina Fernández Cubas wins 2026 Cervantes Prize, top award in Spanish-language literature

The announcement

Spanish writer Cristina Fernández Cubas has won the 2026 Miguel de Cervantes Prize for Literature, an award for writing in Spanish that carries 125,000 euros. Culture Minister Ernest Urtasun announced the jury's decision on 3 November 2026, together with María José Gálvez, director general of the Book, Comics and Reading. The announcement followed a jury meeting and was made at the ministry's headquarters. Fernández Cubas was born in Arenys de Mar in 1945, and several outlets describe her as a master of the short story.

Jury and selection

The jury was chaired by Gonzalo Celorio, the previous year's laureate. It chose among candidates put forward by the Royal Spanish Academy, the academies of other Spanish-speaking countries and earlier winners. The prize honours writers who have helped enrich the Hispanic literary legacy, regardless of nationality. There is no written rule, but the prize has usually alternated between Spanish and Latin American authors. Before the announcement, La Razón listed names that had been floated, including Rosa Montero, Gioconda Belli, Leonardo Padura, Carme Riera, Clara Janés, Soledad Puértolas, Margo Glantz and José Balza.

Winners since 1976

The prize was first awarded in 1976 to Jorge Guillén, and in 1979 it was shared by Gerardo Diego and Jorge Luis Borges. The most recent laureates before this year were Cristina Peri Rossi (2021), Rafael Cadenas (2022), Luis Mateo Díez (2023), Álvaro Pombo (2024) and Gonzalo Celorio (2025). Outlets differ on how many women have won. El Mundo calls Fernández Cubas the sixth woman to receive the prize since 1976, while El Confidencial's list names six women before her, including Ana María Matute (2010) and Elena Poniatowska (2013).

Her writing

Fernández Cubas studied law and journalism. eldiario.es reports that a nanny she had as a child first fed her fascination with mysterious tales that had no clear ending. Her first book, Mi hermana Elba, appeared in 1980, followed by the story collection El ángulo del horror (1990). Her novels include El año de Gracia (1985), El columpio (1995) and La puerta entreabierta (2013), and her memoir Cosas que ya no existen came out in 2001. Her story collection La habitación de Nona won the National Narrative Prize.

In a 2024 interview with EL MUNDO, she distanced herself from the fantasy label.

“I do not consider myself a fantasy writer, but it is true that the unnamable and the fantastic appear and flirt with what I write.”

The ceremony

The prize is traditionally presented by the monarchs at a solemn ceremony in the Paraninfo of the University of Alcalá de Henares. The ceremony is held on 23 April, the anniversary of Cervantes's death, which also marks Book Day. The jury's decision is therefore followed months later by the award ceremony, where the winner receives the prize in person.