Alfredo Merlo wins Hebe Uhart Novel Prize

Alfredo Merlo has won the 2026 Hebe Uhart Novel Prize for his debut work, ‘Un mundo por destruir’. The award, granted by the government of the Buenos Aires Province through Ediciones Bonaerenses, includes a prize of 4,000,000 pesos and publication within the ‘Nuevas Narrativas’ collection.

The fourth edition of the competition saw 434 original and unpublished novels submitted from 75 municipalities across the province. The jury, consisting of writers María Moreno, Marina Yuszczuk, and Eduardo Muslip, selected Merlo as the winner. Viviana Bernadó received a special mention for her novel, ‘Entonces mi vida vendrá hacia mí’.

Merlo, born in 9 de Julio in 1988, is a journalist and audiovisual producer who has worked for outlets such as Perfil, El Gráfico, and Clarín. The Hebe Uhart Prize aims to promote artistic creativity and increase the visibility of new narratives within the state-owned publishing house.