Queen Letizia wore a customised black Sybilla gown with PDPAOLA earrings at the 75th Premios Planeta in Barcelona. The winner received €1 million from a record field of 1,424 manuscripts.
On 15 October 2026, Pavilion 1 at Fira Barcelona’s Montjuïc complex hosted the 75th Planeta awards ceremony. King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia presided. The winner’s prize was €1 million, while the finalist received €200,000. The awards have been presented without interruption since 1952.
Letizia wore a customised black gala dress by Sybilla, paired with earrings from PDPAOLA. Her look stood out among the varied formal outfits at the Barcelona ceremony.
The 75th edition drew a record 1,424 manuscripts. Before the results were announced, the jury cut an initial selection of ten works to nine. One was withdrawn because it had already been published.
The gala brought King Felipe VI together with former prize recipients and guests from politics and culture. The media was represented too. Barcelona has hosted other major events, including the FoodTech 2026 event.
Chilean writer Isabel Allende won the €1 million prize for La hora antes del alba. The novel was described as the second part of a literary line connected to La casa de los espíritus.
The €200,000 finalist prize went to Sergio Hernández Carrasco, a 32-year-old screenwriter from Valencia who specialises in manga. His historical novel, La añoranza, features Barcelona. Its story follows a French translator connected to a plot to assassinate Antonio Machado.
Sonsoles Ónega attended as the 2023 winner. Boris Izaguirre had been a finalist in 2007. Sandra Barneda reached the final in 2020.
Culture Minister Ernest Urtasun was there. Alberto Núñez Feijóo attended, as did Artur Mas. Raquel Sánchez Silva was also among the guests.
Sánchez Silva wore a burgundy Isabel Sanchís dress from the autumn-winter 2026-2027 collection. The double-crepe design had a strapless neckline and a voluminous skirt. Black feather details and a small high-neck cape completed the look.
Ónega chose a midnight-blue velvet suit. Its structured jacket had a high neck, and the wide-leg trousers were paired with silver shoes.
Nieves Herrero also wore dark blue. She paired a satin blouse with a neck bow and flared trousers. A white jacket and black western-style belt finished the outfit.
Espido Freire wore an evening dress by THE 2ND SKIN CO, with pleated organza and a tulle bodice. The long pink skirt had a taffeta belt.
Barneda arrived with her wife, Pascalle Paerel, after their wedding the previous weekend. Barneda wore black satin and tulle beneath an oversized structured jacket. She carried a Louis Vuitton bag. Paerel paired a white shirt with a long black satin skirt and matching belt.
Helena Rakòsnik i Tomé, Artur Mas’s wife, chose a tobacco-brown jumpsuit with a V-neck and wide belt. She topped it with a palm-print kimono by Parfois.
Verónica Sanz wore a red Alejandro de Miguel design with pronounced shoulders. The dress had a V-neck, with sparkling crystals on the sleeves.
Atresmedia presenter Mamen Mendizábal wore white. Helena Resano wore black.
Mónica Carrillo chose a denim outfit by Selected. Matías Prats was among the guests. Alberto Chicote attended, as did Roberto Leal.
