Ibiza continues to consolidate its cultural side with initiatives that transcend the local, and the 'Las Dalias' International Short Story Prize It is one of the best examples. In its ninth editionThe competition has reached an important milestone by registering 2.281 stories received, the highest figure in its history, reaffirming its position as one of the most active and respected events in the Spanish-language short story scene.
The award, endowed with 3.000 EurosThe award has gone to the writer from Extremadura. Manuela Gómez because of his storyArgote's theorem”, a work that has stood out for its conceptual ambition and narrative precision. The jury especially highlighted its Borgesian character, both for its literary construction and for its ability to sustain complex ideas without losing tension, in a story that poses a play between thought, language and reality.
The text revolves around the figure of a scholar obsessed with building a total cityA seamless architecture where everything fits together. As the narrative unfolds, the reader discovers that this space is none other than the creator's own life transformed into writing, in a proposal that invites reflection on the boundaries between author, work and reader.
Manuela GómezOriginally from Almendral (Badajoz), she has a well-established career in short fiction, poetry, and children's literature, and has received recognition in various competitions in recent years. Her academic background, linked to library science and documentation, is also reflected in the structural rigor of her writing.
The jury for this edition has been made up of prominent names from the literary field such as Maribel Andrés Llamero, Alberto de la Rocha, Ben Clark, award coordinator, and Laura Ferrer Arambarri, director of Las Dalias Ibiza & Formentera Magazine, publication in which the winning story will be published both in Spanish as in English.
Furthermore, the process has left a final selection of fifteen stories that reflect the diversity and vitality of the contemporary short storyconsolidating a trajectory that, edition after edition, has recognized relevant authors within the genre.
Beyond the prize, the competition reinforces the role of Las Dalias as an active cultural space on the island, capable of connecting Ibiza with the international literary circuit and continuing to support creation as an engine for reflection and encounter.
An initiative that demonstrates that in Ibiza, stories are also written, thought about, and built that travel far beyond the island.