More than 200 cultural figures demand reversal of the annulment of the ruling that awarded a prize to a poetry collection about the social uprising

The controversy over the annulment of a literary prize ruling that favored a poetry collection about the social uprising gained a new chapter this Sunday. A total of 201 individuals and organizations from the cultural world signed a public statement demanding that the Ministry of Cultures, Arts and Heritage reverse the decision and respect the jury's original verdict. Among the signatories are writers Diamela Eltit and Nona Fernández, poet Raúl Zurita, actor Alfredo Castro, journalist Faride Zerán, former minister Nivia Palma, and musicians Horacio Salinas and Jorge Coulon, historic members of Inti-Illimani. The statement comes after it became known that the ministry had voided the evaluation that had selected Persona sin identificar, by poet and journalist Verónica Jiménez Dotte, as the winner of the Published Poetry category of the 2026 Best Literary Works Prize. The work, published in 2025 by Garceta Ediciones, addresses the deaths and police repression during the social uprising, linking them to experiences of detention, disappearance, and torture during the military dictatorship. For those who signed the statement, the ministerial decision goes beyond Jiménez's particular case and opens a discussion about the limits of administrative intervention in artistic competitions. "Culture and art are not ornaments subordinate to political whims, nor spaces subject to the approval of the authority of the moment; they are the fundamental territory where a society exercises its freedom in plurality," they stated. The supporters argue that voiding a verdict adopted by a specialized jury sets a worrying precedent for the autonomy of artistic evaluation processes. Along those lines, they demanded the restoration of the original ruling and guarantees of the independence of juries, while the call for signatures remains open to new supporters. The controversy The conflict began to become public after November 10, when the Ministry of Cultures announced the winners of the 2026 Literary Prizes, but left the published and unpublished poetry categories without winners. A day later, Jiménez learned that her work had been selected in first place by the jury, even though that result had not been officially recognized. Her account was backed by Milagros Abalo and Gastón Carrasco, two of the five jury members, who stated that the selection of Persona sin identificar had been agreed upon and formalized in an official record. However, they were subsequently informed that the evaluation would be voided for administrative reasons, after some works had not been considered during the initial process. The jurors expressed their willingness to review the pending submissions, but the ministry chose to form a new evaluation committee. Jiménez questioned the decision and announced that she would turn to the Office of the Comptroller General of the Republic, considering that the procedure disregarded the deliberation of a specialized jury. She also raised the possibility that censorship was involved. From the Undersecretariat of Cultures and the Arts, they explained that the published and unpublished poetry categories remain under evaluation, after reconsideration appeals filed during the competition were accepted. The ministry maintained that these appeals required incorporating three additional submissions and rectifying the procedure. For that reason, it was decided to appoint new juries to evaluate the works, rather than keeping the committee that had initially selected Jiménez's book. The explanation, however, failed to close the controversy. Rocío Barros, president of the board of Editoriales de Chile, expressed her concern about the change of jury and requested explanations about the grounds for the decision. The controversy comes days before the 2026 Literary Prizes ceremony, scheduled for November 25 at the La Moneda Cultural Center, while the definition of the published and unpublished poetry categories remains pending. NEWSLETTER Culto Wednesday, AM Series, books, music, and film that everyone is talking about. The pop guide to enter the conversations of the moment in style. By subscribing, you are accepting La Tercera's Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policies.