Peruvian author David Silva Rojas wins Almadía novel prize in Mexico

Peruvian writer and lawyer David Silva Rojas was announced as the winner of the inaugural Almadía Ventosa‑Arrufat International Short Novel Prize, a $22,905 award, for his work "Donde el agua trabaja". The prize was presented in Mexico City by Mexican novelist Cristina Rivera Garza, a 2024 Pulitzer Prize winner, who chaired a jury that also included Ecuadorian Mónica Ojeda and Argentine Selva Almada. The competition received 2,204 manuscripts from 22 countries across four continents. Silva's novel portrays a young woman’s experience of labor exploitation on a vineyard in Ica, Peru, highlighting themes of surveillance and dehumanisation. Due to visa restrictions, Silva could not travel to receive the award in person and delivered his acceptance speech remotely.

The award will see the winning novel published in Mexico, Spain and Colombia with distribution throughout Latin America beginning in September.