The "Caminhos de Literatura Prize" is in its third edition with registrations open until September 15, seeking to reveal new talents of contemporary Brazilian fiction. The contest, promoted by writer Henrique Rodrigues through Instituto Caminhos da Palavra, is exclusively aimed at Brazilian writers writing their first novel, with the award ceremony scheduled for December 9 at Teatro YouTube in São Paulo.
The big news of this edition is the expansion of the winning work's international circulation to Portugal, through Grupo Infinito Particular, with publication scheduled for 2027. Until now, the winning work was published by Dublinense and Editora Kacimbo in Angola, but with the entry of the Portuguese market, the prize now connects three Portuguese-language publishing spaces.
The selection model of the contest is based on anonymity, seeking to evaluate exclusively the literary quality of the texts. Henrique Rodrigues considers that the arrival in Portugal represents an important leap for the project, providing beginning writers with circulation that goes beyond the Brazilian market, and will also offer literary mentorship to the winner.
The previous editions demonstrated the impact of the prize on the winners' careers. The first edition was won by Izabella Cristo with "Mãezinha" and the second by Paula Novais with "Gaiolas de concreto armado," a work that was highlighted by the newspaper "O Globo" among the literary highlights of 2026. Both writers emphasized that the prize was decisive in their trajectories, enabling publication by recognized publishers and access to new readers and opportunities in the literary field.
