Asturian writer Alberto Menéndez García has won first prize in the 10th Cardenal Mendoza International Microfiction Contest with a work titled “Vigilia.” It is a text with a Unamuno-esque slant, in which the characters—a couple in love—address their creator, begging for more life, a motif with a historical precedent in Miguel de Unamuno’s novel *Niebla*. The jury highlighted the text’s narrative effectiveness, the scope of its symbolic dimension, and the skillful treatment of Jerez brandy. All of this while impeccably adhering to the required brevity. Alberto Menéndez García was born in Avilés (Asturias) in 1972. He specializes in children’s literature. In this field, he has won several awards and published numerous books. He currently resides in Oviedo, where he works for the government of the Principality of Asturias.
“Campiña,” by Miguel Campos Martín of Málaga, won second prize. The jury highlighted the literary quality of the story, which skillfully employs a vernacular style to tell, with a touch of dark humor, a tale of magical realism.
The absurd humor of “Los del Quinto” earns third prize for its author, Miguel Escudero Eble, from Madrid.
The Cardenal Mendoza Non Plus Ultra Special Mention, which recognizes the micro-story that best enhances the image of Jerez brandy, was awarded to Raquel Traverso Rodríguez, a native of Huelva living in Madrid, for “Resurrección.”
The jury, chaired by Mauricio Gil Cano, was composed of poets Josefa Parra Ramos, director of the Caballero Bonald Foundation, and Ana Sofía Pérez-Bustamante Mourier, professor at the UCA and deputy director of the Royal Hispanic-American Academy; as well as professor, storyteller, and critic José López Romero and Evaristo Babé, president of the Regulatory Council of Brandy de Jerez.
The jury’s decision and the winning micro-stories can be read on the website www.cardenalmendoza.com. This year, 2,689 stories were submitted from 35 countries, a record number of entries. The jury highlighted the quality of the works submitted to the tenth edition of a contest that has already become a well-established benchmark in the field of hyper-short fiction in Spanish. Ten years of journey that are part of the more than 240-year history of Sánchez Romate Hnos., the winery that produces Cardenal Mendoza sherry brandy and annually organizes the microfiction contest of the same name.
