Science Fiction, Intrigue, and Social Reality Novels for a Record-Breaking Planet

The 74th edition of the Premio Planeta has set a participation record with 1,320 novels, as authors were able to submit their original works via the award's website for the first time, facilitating an unprecedented number of manuscript submissions.

Among the ten finalists are notable works of fantasy, thrillers, and intrigue novels, as well as those addressing pressing social issues such as housing shortages, loneliness, the need for communication, and trauma. This was announced on Tuesday by the spokesperson for the Premio Planeta de Novela 2025 jury, Luz Gabás, during a press conference where the president of Grupo Planeta, José Creuheras, expressed satisfaction with the reading figures in Spain (65% of the population reads), especially among young people, 75%, with a ten-point increase over the past year.

Creuheras reviewed Planeta's figures, celebrating 75 years since its founding by José Manuel Lara and 74 years of the award in 2025. During this time, Planeta has sold 46 million copies, and since the first edition of the prize, 29,000 original works have been submitted.

The award, to be decided this Wednesday, October 15, in Barcelona, will grant 1,000,000 euros to the winning work. It is the world's most lucrative literary prize, surpassing even the Nobel. Last year, the award went to writer Paloma Sánchez-Garnica for her novel 'Victoria'. The runner-up will receive 200,000 euros. The ceremony will take place at the Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya, during the traditional literary dinner.

This year's jury includes José Manuel Blecua, Juan Eslava Galán, Luz Gabás, Pere Gimferrer, Eva Giner, Carmen Posadas, and Belén López, director of Editorial Planeta. In this edition, Eslava Galán and Blecua will not attend the deliberations in person due to unforeseen health issues and will participate remotely.

The origins of the novels received this year are diverse. In addition to Spain, with 687 entries, South America stands out with 378. The rest of the submissions come from North America (161), Central America (41), Europe excluding Spain (36), Asia (4), and Africa (2). Additionally, there are 11 novels whose authors did not specify their origin.

Among the 1,320 submitted works, the jury has already selected the ten finalists. Four were submitted under pseudonyms, and among them will be the winner, as has been the case every year, with the prize often going to authors who prefer not to reveal their true identity.

Interestingly, three of the authors who submitted under pseudonyms chose female names. These include 'No es tan fácil morir de amor' by Elvira Torres; '¿No es hermosa la luna?' by Selene Noctis; and 'El color de la lluvia' by Sofía García. The only one submitted with a male name, albeit British, is 'Zoltar the Wizard, the Pirate Roberts, and a Western Novel' by Keith Astra. The other six finalists, whose authors have revealed their identities, are: 'The Death of the Goddess' by José Antonio Ariza; 'The Destiny in the Sphere of a Clock' by Enrique Alejandro Santoyo Castro; 'Where Names Are Written' by Blanca Montoya Landa; 'Everyone Laughs' by Noelia Espinar; and 'Ghosting' by Salva Rubio.