Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and the writer Mario Vargas Llosa win the International Don Quijote de la Mancha Award

The International Don Quijote de la Mancha Award, now in its second year and co-sponsored by the Fundación Santillana and the regional government of Castilla-La Mancha, has gone to Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo in the category Best Institutional Contribution for her endeavors to introduce the Spanish language into the school curriculum.

The jury considered that by incorporating the Spanish language into the school curriculum, the Philippine government had recognized the growing importance of Spanish as a world language, an importance stressed by the country's president, Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. The Philippine educational initiative considerably broadens the scope for political, institutional and economic collaboration with regards to the Spanish language.

Meanwhile, in the category for outstanding career, the Peruvian writer Mario Vargas Llosa has been honored for his work as a novelist, essayist, literary critic, journalist and intellectual. Mario Vargas Llosa has worked tirelessly in these creative fields since the publication of his first literary work in 1959.

The jury believed that over the course of the past 50 years, Vargas Llosa has consistently used his creative talents to enrich the Spanish language, bringing to bear on Spanish narrative culture the great traditions of world literature while at the same time creating a prestigious benchmark in the field of culture.

Both award winners were announced today in Toledo. The jury is presided over by José María Barreda, president of Castilla-La Mancha, and is composed of Víctor García de la Concha, director of the Real Academia Española de la Lengua; María Soledad Herrero, Castilla-La Mancha's culture minister; Gregorio Marañón, president of the Real Fundación de Toledo; the writer Nélida Piñón; Juan Luis Cebrián, CEO of Grupo PRISA; Emiliano Martínez, president of Grupo Santillana, and Basilio Baltasar, jury secretary.

The  International Don Quijote de la Mancha Award was established in 2008 and is aimed at giving institutional recognition to the work of candidates of any nationality who contribute most to the international awareness and promotion of Spanish culture and language. Each prize is worth 25,000 euros and is accompanied by a Manolo Valdés sculpture.

The awards ceremony will take place in Toledo in autumn 2009.