The Hay Festival launched a call for entries this Thursday to select 39 Latin American writers under the age of 40 for Medellín39. This initiative aims to showcase emerging talent in Latin American narrative fiction, coinciding with Medellín’s designation by UNESCO as the 2027 World Book Capital.
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The call for entries is open from September 20, 2026, through October 30, 2026, and accepts both self-nominations and nominations by third parties.
The established requirements are: being under 40 years of age (born in 1988 or later), being a national of a Latin American country or part of its diaspora, and having published at least one book with a publishing house. Applications are accepted via the official website hayfestival.com/medellin39 and through a mapping process conducted by cultural agents across the region.
The selection process will be overseen by an international jury comprising five figures from the Latin American literary and cultural spheres: writers Pilar Quintana, Leonardo Padura, and Diamela Eltit; Mexican linguist and essayist Yásnaya Elena A. Gil; and Mexican actor, director, and producer Diego Luna. The 39 selected writers will be announced between January 26 and 27, 2027, during the Hay Festival Forum in Medellín.
Medellín39 es el proyecto que busca a los nuevos talentos literarios.
Los escritores y escritoras seleccionados formarán parte de una antología que publicará Anagrama y que circulará internacionalmente, además participarán en charlas, paneles y lecturas del Hay Festival bajo el… pic.twitter.com/1U64y3kcP7
— Hay Festival Esp (@hayfestival_esp) October 1, 2026
The text reads, “Medellín39 is a project seeking new literary talent. The selected writers will be featured in an anthology published by Anagrama that will circulate internationally; they will also participate in talks, panels, and readings at the Hay Festival under the Medellín39 banner, as well as in other associated literary gatherings and festivals. Pictured here are the writers selected for Bogotá39.”
The project includes the publication of an anthology co-edited with the Spanish publishing house Anagrama; the book will be released in both Spanish and English editions and presented in September 2027 during Medellín’s Book and Culture Festival (in spanish Fiesta del Libro y la Cultura).
Medellín39 revives the Bogotá39 project—a selection of young Latin American writers originally organized by the Hay Festival in 2007, when Bogotá also held the title of World Book Capital. The call for participation comes as Medellín prepares to serve as the 2027 World Book Capital—a distinction awarded by UNESCO in March 2026 in recognition of its efforts regarding reading, writing, and access to books.
Hay Festival—an international gathering dedicated to literature, the arts, ideas, and culture that originated in 1988 in Hay-on-Wye, Wales—has had a presence in Latin America since 2006, with programs in cities such as Cartagena de Indias.
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