The President of the Legislative Assembly of the Autonomous Region of the Azores (ALRAA), Luís Garcia, yesterday highlighted the “huge success” of the first edition of the Vitorino Nemésio Literary Prize, which closed the application period with 447 submissions, “a significant volume that reflects the great interest of the Lusophone literary community in this new award.”

“The response to the Prize exceeded all our expectations. Receiving so many works from different countries is proof of the impact that Portuguese literature continues to have and the relevance of this initiative for Lusophone writers,” said the President of the Legislative Assembly yesterday at the Parliament’s headquarters, quoted in a press release, with the majority of submissions coming from Brazil and mainland Portugal, but also from the Azores and Madeira, the President of the Azorean Parliament believes that “the geographical diversity of the entries reflects the true spirit of Lusophony,” also highlighting the participation of authors from other countries, such as Mozambique, Angola, and even Switzerland, “which shows the international reach of the Prize and the unifying power of the Portuguese language.”
Submissions for the Vitorino Nemésio Literary Prize ran from January 6 to March 7, 2025. For more information about the prize, interested parties can visit the Legislative Assembly of the Autonomous Region of the Azores’ official website at https://www.alra.pt/index.php/artigossite/1718.

In Correio dos Açores, Natalino Viveiros-director