The decision for the prestigious competition was announced on September 16 in Albolote, at an event attended by the Councilor for Culture, Eugenia Rodríguez Bailón, and the poet Antonio Carvajal himself, who lends his name to the award. This event also served to announce the call for the thirtieth edition of the contest.
The jury highlighted the «very high quality» of the finalists and unanimously recognized 'Fumar mata', describing it as «the mature expression of well-assimilated readings from various poetic languages», including French, Romanian, and Spanish. The author's maturity in his use of Spanish, stemming from «a passionate knowledge of the poetic fact», was particularly noted.
Kotztandi's work offers a lyrical perspective on the current world with «a certain ironic detachment that does not exclude deep sentiment», according to the jury's minutes. The jury comprised Eugenia Rodríguez Bailón (president), Jesús Munárriz, Antonio Sánchez Trigueros, Francisco Castaño, José Antonio Ramírez Milena, and Antonio Chicharro Chamorro.
Antonio Carvajal expressed his satisfaction with the continuity of the award and the upcoming 30th edition, noting that it is the first time the prize has gone to a non-Spanish-speaking author. He expressed his hope for the award's long trajectory and for the dissemination of good Spanish poetry.
“"May the award last longer than I do, may it be a tradition, and may new talent continue to join."
Raúl Otto Kotztandi received the news visibly moved after the jury's president communicated the decision.
