Pablo Mella wins first Marcio Veloz Maggiolo National Cultural Research Prize

Writer, philosopher, and researcher Pablo Mella has been awarded the inaugural Marcio Veloz Maggiolo National Cultural Research Prize 2026. The Dominican Ministry of Culture announced that Mella received the honor for his work, ‘La casilla vacía de la dominicanidad’.

The prize includes a certificate and a monetary award of 500,000 Dominican pesos. A jury composed of intellectuals Ofelia Berrido Torres, Darío Tejeda, and Pedro Omar Messon evaluated the submissions, noting the book's analytical rigor and its contribution to the history of ideas by questioning traditional perspectives on Dominican identity.

Established by Decree 662-25, the award aims to foster cultural research and recognize national intellectual labor. Nine digital works participated in this first edition. Mella is a Jesuit priest and holds a doctorate in Philosophy from the University of Leuven. He currently serves as a professor and researcher at the Instituto Superior Pedro Francisco Bonó.