José Luís Peixoto© Patricia Santos Pinto

José Luís Peixoto //

José Luís Peixoto is the winner of the Vergílio Ferreira Prize 2026, granted by the Universidade de Évora. The jury explained that the author was awarded the prize as he is “one of the most distinctive contemporary voices in the Portuguese language.”

This prize has been awarded since 1997 and honours outstanding Portuguese-language authors in the field of narrative and/or essay.

Former winners include Ondjaki (2023), Ana Luísa Amaral (2021), Nélida Piñon (2019), Gonçalo M. Tavares (2018), Lídia Jorge (2015), Hélia Correia (2013), Mário de Carvalho (2009), Agustina Bessa-Luís (2004), Eduardo Lourenço (2001) and Mia Couto (1999).

> https://www.lusa.pt/culture/article/2026-01-29/46450372/universidade-de-%C3%A9vora-distingue-jos%C3%A9-lu%C3%ADs-peixoto-com-pr%C3%A9mio-verg%C3%ADlio-ferreira