Gala del Premio Internacional Ernesto Cardenal 2026

May 28, 2026. Gala of the Ernesto Cardenal International Prize, a cultural award created by the Ernesto Cardenal Foundation to honor the memory and legacy of the Nicaraguan poet, priest, and thinker Ernesto Cardenal. The objective of this prize is to recognize individuals and institutions whose work makes an outstanding contribution to culture, the arts, the defense of human rights, and harmony among peoples. The prize is awarded in several categories, including 'Literature,' 'Arts,' and 'Harmony and Human Rights,' recognizing achievements that strengthen the Spanish language, promote artistic creation, or foster values ​​of peace, freedom, and justice. More than an individual recognition, the award seeks to affirm a vision of culture as a force for social transformation and a bridge of understanding among the peoples of Ibero-America, in harmony with the humanist and spiritual thought of Ernesto Cardenal. The Ernesto Cardenal International Prize was created to honor the spiritual, literary, and humanist legacy of one of the greatest poets in the Spanish language. This year, the jury has chosen to recognize businessman and philanthropist Hugo Sigman, whose scientific and social work has contributed to the progress and well-being of millions of people; poet, philologist, and intellectual Luis Alberto de Cuenca, one of the most singular and brilliant voices in contemporary Spanish poetry; and filmmaker Alejandro Amenábar, author of an internationally acclaimed body of work that has sensitively and profoundly explored the great questions of the human condition. Program: Welcome: León de la Torre, Director General of Casa de América. Opening Address: Óscar de Baltodano, Vice President and Director General of the Ernesto Cardenal Foundation. Audiovisual Presentation: Message from Luz Marina Acosta, heir to the legacy of Ernesto Cardenal and President of the Ernesto Cardenal Foundation. Institutional remarks: Mariano de Paco Serrano, Minister of Culture, Tourism, and Sport of the Community of Madrid. Among other dignitaries. Laudatories: Laudatio in honor of Luis Alberto de Cuenca, recipient of the Ernesto Cardenal Prize in the Literature category, delivered by Carmen Iglesias, Director of the Royal Academy of History. Laudatio in honor of Alejandro Amenábar, recipient of the Ernesto Cardenal Prize in the Arts category, delivered by Fernando Méndez Leite, President of the Spanish Academy of Cinematographic Arts and Sciences. Awards ceremony: Óscar de Baltodano presents the award to Luis Alberto de Cuenca. Mariano de Paco Serrano and Óscar de Baltodano present the award to Alejandro Amenábar. Óscar de Baltodano presents the award to Hugo Sigman. Remarks by the award recipients: Luis Alberto de Cuenca. Alejandro Amenábar. Hugo Sigman. Closing Remarks: Laudatory speech in honor of Hugo Sigman, recipient of the Ernesto Cardenal Award for Concord and Human Rights, delivered by the former President of the Government of Spain, Felipe González. Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International