✏ Mozambican poet Gibson João has won the 17th José Luís Peixoto Literary Prize for his unpublished work "Em Vogais" ("In Vowels"). The prize, awarded annually by the municipality of Ponte de Sor, Portugal, comes with a €1,000 cash award (over 69,000 meticais) and publication of his winning work in Portugal. João will also receive 50 copies of the published book.
Sharing the award in the category for authors not born or resident in Ponte de Sor is Portuguese author Paulo Carvalho Ferreira for his work "Almanaque dos Dias Ímpares". Notably, no awards were given this year in the category for authors born or resident in the municipality.
"This victory is a milestone for Mozambican literature, which has recently shown itself to be vibrant and promising, with new authors increasingly promoting their country beyond its borders," said a jubilant João.
This is João's second literary award. In 2023, he and Óscar Fanheiro shared the Fernando Leite Couto Literary Prize for their collaborative work "Da casa: o seu litoral murmuro". That prize included a one-month literary residency in Óbidos, Portugal, and participation in the 2023 Óbidos International Literary Festival.
The José Luís Peixoto Literary Prize is open to all Portuguese-speaking writers and aims to foster literary creativity among young people and promote a love of writing. The prize is named in honor of the Portuguese writer José Luís Peixoto, a native of Ponte de Sor.
