The Premio Zóbel is a Philippine literary award conferred on Filipino writers in the Spanish language.
The primary objective of the Premio Zóbel is to give recognition Filipino writers in and advocates for Spanish language.
[2] The Premio Zóbel was founded by businessman and philanthropist Enrique Zóbel de Ayala[1] in 1920, considered to be the oldest literary award in the Philippines and the only literary prize in Asia dedicated to promoting the Spanish language.
He established the award amidst the American colonization in the first few decades of the 20th century, the rise of the English language as medium of instruction in schools, and the waning of the use of the Spanish language as lingua franca in government and the elite.
Written by the 1998 awardee professor Lourdes Brillantes, it was supported by Spanish Ambassador Delfín Colomé Pujol and the Fundacion Santiago for the Philippine Centennial.