Pablo Mella Wins 2026 Feria del Libro National Prize

Pablo Mella, SJ, has been awarded the 2026 Eduardo León Jimenes National Book Fair Prize for his book Ética de la praxis educativa. Entre la profesionalidad y el compromiso personal, published by Editorial Universitaria Bonó. The recognition was presented during the International Book Fair of Santo Domingo at the Aida Bonnelly Hall of the National Theater.

The prize includes RD$1,000,000 net of taxes and a certificate. The award was presented by Culture Minister Roberto Ángel Salcedo, Eduardo León Jimenes Foundation President María Amalia León and International Book Fair Director Reynaldo Chevalier, together with members of the judging panel.

A Book Focused on Ethics and Education

Mella’s winning work examines the contemporary education system and the challenges affecting it, placing ethics at the center of the author’s proposal for recovering the broader purpose of education. The jury also viewed the book as extending beyond educational practice to address the role of ethics in Dominican society.

The judges praised the book’s clear and accessible language, while emphasizing the depth of its arguments. They also highlighted its structure, which develops the central thesis progressively and connects educational practice with questions surrounding democratic life and the construction of a more humane society.

The jury’s assessment described the work as a reflection on what it considers a moral decline in Dominican society and linked its educational argument to the preparation of citizens for democratic participation. The award therefore recognizes not only a work about teaching, but an essay addressing broader questions about values and public life in the Dominican Republic.

Twenty-Ninth Edition Drew 49 Books

The 2026 Eduardo León Jimenes National Book Fair Prize was the 29th edition of the award. A total of 49 books published between January 1 and December 31, 2025, were submitted for consideration.

The jury consisted of Priscilla Velázquez Rivera, María Filomena González Canalda and Alejandro Arvelo Polanco. Chevalier served as ex officio president, with the right to speak but not to vote.

The selection criteria included the significance and quality of the work, command of language, intellectual or creative ability, structure, originality and contribution to the country’s bibliographic heritage. These criteria placed both literary quality and the intellectual contribution of the submitted books at the center of the evaluation.

Recognition for Dominican Literature

During the ceremony, María Amalia León reaffirmed the Eduardo León Jimenes Foundation’s commitment to Dominican literature and writers. She described literary recognition as a way of acknowledging the work, time and dedication behind a published book.

The foundation’s involvement in the award reflects the role that literary institutions play in supporting Dominican authors and preserving the country’s intellectual and cultural production. The National Book Fair Prize has become a recurring part of the Dominican literary calendar, with each edition evaluating books published during the preceding year.

Pablo Mella’s Academic Career

Mella is a philosopher and Jesuit priest who serves as executive secretary for Institutional Outreach and professor at the Pedro Francisco Bonó Institute of Higher Studies. He also directs Editorial Universitaria Bonó, the journal Estudios Sociales and the Pedro Francisco Bonó Library.

He holds a doctorate in political philosophy from the University of Louvain in Belgium. His academic work has focused on contemporary political philosophy, ethics, education and Latin American and Caribbean thought. He has also been a visiting professor at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome and ITESO University in Guadalajara, Mexico.

Among his previous books are Los espejos de Duarte, which received the 2013 National Sociopolitical Essay Prize, as well as Ética del posdesarrollo and Derecho, soberanía, interculturalidad. His 2025 book, Ética de la praxis educativa, now adds the National Book Fair Prize to his list of literary and academic distinctions.

Mella has also served as rector and academic director of the Bonó Philosophical Institute, participated as a jury member for the Casa de las Américas Prize and worked on international philosophical and bioethics initiatives. His next book, La casilla vacía de la dominicanidad, is scheduled for publication in 2026.