Rafael Cadenas (born 8 April 1930 Barquisimeto, Lara) is a Venezuelan poet and essayist.

[1] He taught for many years at the Central University of Venezuela.

[2] He received the National Prize for Literature (1985), Guadalajara's International Book Fair prize of literature (Romance languages) (México, 2009) and García Lorca Prize (2015).

Cadenas was awarded the Miguel de Cervantes Prize in 2022, the first Venezuelan to receive the award.

[3][4] On April 24, 2023, he received the 2022 Cervantes Prize, the highest recognition for contributions to literature in the Spanish language.