The Rómulo Gallegos International Novel Prize (Spanish: Premio internacional de novela Rómulo Gallegos) was created on 6 August 1964 by a presidential decree enacted by VenezuelanpresidentRaúl Leoni, in honor of the Venezuelan writer and President Rómulo Gallegos, the author of Doña Bárbara.
The declared purpose of the prize is to "perpetuate and honor the work of the eminent novelist and also to stimulate the creative activity of Spanish language writers".[1]
It is awarded by the government of Venezuela, through the offices of the Rómulo Gallegos Center for Latin American Studies (CELARG). The first prize was given in 1967. It was awarded every five years until 1987, when it became a biennial award.[2]
