Planeta 2025 Prize: Juan del Val - Vera, a Love Story

The Planeta Prize is a literary competition organised by the publishing house of the same name which aims to recognise an unpublished novel written in Spanish. It is held annually, and its decision is traditionally announced on 15 October - coinciding with the feast of Santa Teresa - during a literary gala in Barcelona.

One of its hallmarks is its high prize money: the winner receives one million euros, while the runner-up receives an amount of around 200,000 euros. This makes it one of the largest literary prizes in the Spanish-speaking world.

In addition, the competition requires that the originals be unpublished and that the author submit the work under a pseudonym, which adds a degree of initial anonymity that seeks to level the competition between well-known authors and new talents.

The Planeta Prize therefore brings together three fundamental elements: prestige, media visibility and a large prize that transforms an author's career. This makes it a key event for authors, publishers and readers.

Winner 2025: author and novel.

Who is Juan del Val

The winner of the 2025 edition (the 74th edition) of the Planeta Prize is Juan del Val, an author from Madrid who already had literary experience, and is also known for his presence in the media. At the age of 55, he won the award.

Although she is a media name, her victory shows that behind her public image there is a solid literary commitment: she submitted her novel under the female pseudonym “Elvira Torres” to preserve anonymity during the selection process.

This combination of «visible» author but manuscript under a pseudonym adds an interesting layer to analyse: the Prize seeks to reward the work, not just the author's fame, although visibility clearly influences the public conversation.

In his declarations, Juan del Val said that literature has saved his life and that he is grateful for the constant support of those around him, noting that winning the prize was «such a fantastic thing that it seems that it can only happen to others».

This background and this personal dimension add to the interest generated by his victory.

The winning novel: Vera, a love story

The work with which Juan del Val has won the prize is titled Vera, a love story. As for the plot, the novel is set in Sevillian high society and begins with Vera, a middle-aged woman who is married to a marquis in a marriage that is empty of affection. From there, Vera decides to break with this immobility and begins a passionate relationship with a young man of humble origins, Antonio. This relationship leads her to a process of liberation, of discovery of her desire, of personal change and of access to a life she thought she had lost.

According to the author, this novel is «a novel of love in all directions: true love and self-interested love, which is often the same love». Therefore, it is not only presented as a light romance, but as a reflection on freedom, desire, status, personal transformation.

For the author, the prize is not only a recognition but also a literary validation in terms of his media profile; moreover, it opens up his work to a visibility that is rarely achieved outside this type of awards.

Winning the Planeta Prize has several effects that are worth highlighting:

Immediate visibility in the media, bookshops and literary circuits.
A major commercial boost: thanks to the prize, the novel will benefit from a prominent edition, promotional campaigns, possible translations.
A gateway to other readings of his previous and future work by readers who may not have followed him as such.

For Juan del Val, this prize could mark a before and after in his career as a novelist, giving him greater credibility in the literary sphere, consolidating him as a major storyteller, beyond his mediatic facet.

Finalists of the 2025 edition

The main finalist of this year's edition was Ángela Banzas, with the novel entitled When the wind speaks. Banzas is Galician, has a degree in Political Science and an MBA, and has been publishing novels of suspense and intrigue. Her shortlisted work is set in post-war rural Galicia, where family secrets, absences, a twin sister and hidden experiments in a hospital are intertwined.
The novel has been praised for the emotional strength of its setting, the density of its characters and a style that blends thriller, gothic and historical drama.

The ten finalist novels

The 2025 edition selected ten finalists from more than 1,300 entries. This list provides an interesting overview of current narrative trends. The titles and authors (or pseudonyms) are as follows:

Everyone laughs, by Noelia Espinar
Ghosting, by Salva Rubio
Because of his great guilt, by Mauro Corti
It's not so easy to die of love, by “Elvira Torres” (pseudonym) → who turned out to be Juan del Val
Isn't the moon beautiful?, by “Selene Noctis” (pseudonym)
Zoltar the Magician, Pirate Roberts and a Western Novel, by “Keith Astra” (pseudonym)
The colour of rain, by “Sofía García” (pseudonym)
The death of the goddess, by José Antonio Ariza
Destiny on a watch face, by Enrique Alejandro Santoyo Castro
Where names are written, by Blanca Montoya Landa

This variety shows how the competition accepts a wide range of genres: from romance, fantasy, westerns, thrillers to family intrigue. The fact that some authors submit their work under pseudonyms adds an element of surprise and initial anonymity that is part of the prize's charm.

Record participation

The 2025 edition of the Planeta Prize has broken a new record for participation, with more than 1,320 manuscripts submitted. This speaks both of the literary world's interest in this award and of the ever-increasing competition faced by aspiring authors.

However, as is often the case with highly visible awards, this edition has not been free of criticism. The fact that a highly publicised author such as Juan del Val was the winner has generated debate: some see it as a good strategy to connect literature and audience; others criticise it for considering that the author's fame may influence the jury's decision or subsequent sales. This discussion is relevant because it touches on the tension between literary value, market, visibility and prestige. We should not forget that the prize is still marked by its commercial and media dimension, which raises questions about the balance between “prize literature” and “popular literature”.