- The runner-up prize in this edition goes to Un himno a la vida by Gisèle Pelicot, published by Penguin Random House, a title voiced by actress Blanca Portillo, whose performance has been recognized with the Special Mention for Best Narration of the Year.
- The jury also recognizes productions from Penguin Random House, Audible, Audiolibre, and Ediciones Ekaré Sur in this second edition of the awards.
Barcelona, September 17th, 2026. The jury of the Second Bookwire Audiobook Award has chosen Principio, medio, fin by Valeria Luiselli as the Best Spanish Audiobook of the Year. Second place went to Un himno a la vida by Gisèle Pelicot, and third place to La vida es sueño by Pedro Calderón de la Barca, both published by Penguin Random House.
The Special Mention for Best Voice of the Year in Peninsular Spanish went to actress Blanca Portillo for her narration of Un himno a la vida by Gisèle Pelicot, which jury member and writer Paulina Flores described as "remarkable for its ability to create intimacy without dramatizing suffering." In the same category, but for its Latin American Spanish counterpart, the Special Mention went to Tefa Cruz and Alejandro Carrillo, narrators of La bellakita by Alejandro Carrillo, published by Audiolibre. The Audible production of Jane Austen's Orgullo y prejuicio, read by more than thirty actors (including Georgina Amorós, Omar Ayuso, and Alberto San Juan, among others), received the Special Mention for Best Sound Adaptation of a Public Domain Classic. Editorial Ekaré Sur, meanwhile, took home the Special Mention for Best Sound Design for Las aventuras del Hombre Pájaro by José Manuel Izquierdo and Pablo Álvarez.
Meanwhile, readers voted on the Fabely platform for their favorite Spanish-language audiobooks of the year, with two titles published by Planeta Audio taking first and second place: La mala hija by Pedro Martí and No me llames loca by Gilraen Eärfalas. Third place in the Fabely Award went to El despertar del Gato Tuerto. Episodio 1 by Denisse Marina, published by Audiolibre.
The jury, made up of writers Paulina Flores and Eduard Olesti, along with digital culture expert and Dosdoce.com co-founder Javier Celaya, selected the winning titles from nearly 250 entries submitted by 50 publishers and platforms from Spain, Mexico, Chile, Colombia, and the United States.
"Beyond being one of the most singular and compelling literary voices working today, Valeria Luiselli has spent years working with sound recording and soundscapes. In Principio, medio, fin, it's extraordinary how that artistic practice is woven into the work itself: the sounds don't merely illustrate the text or serve as simple accompaniment — they add new layers to the story and expand its structural and literary possibilities," explained Paulina Flores. Javier Celaya, for his part, described the winning audiobook as "not just a great novel well narrated: it's a work conceived from the outset to be listened to. Luiselli incorporated sound recordings captured directly in Sicily, the setting of the story — the murmur of the volcano, the fishermen's songs, the island's acoustic landscape — weaving the real sound of the place with the narrator's voice until the distance between listener and story disappears."
The Bookwire Audiobook Awards were created in 2025 with the aim of recognizing excellence and innovation in the Spanish-language audiobook industry, and stand as the only award dedicated exclusively to Spanish-language audiobooks, as well as a prestigious reference point in the sector.
Award Ceremony at Liber 2026
Bookwire's Managing Director for the Spanish-speaking and EMEA markets, Mariana Feged, and the Managing Director of the Federación de Gremios de Editoriales de España, José Manuel Anta, will present the awards during the Liber International Book Fair 2026, taking place this year in Barcelona. The event will be held on September 30 at 1:00 p.m., in a ceremony attended by representatives of the winning publishers and open to anyone who wishes to attend and celebrate this unique occasion for the industry.
This ceremony will also close out Liber Audio, the day organized by Bookwire and dedicated exclusively to the new challenges and opportunities the audio format presents. Throughout the morning, experts from Bookwire, Audible, and Spotify, among other leading companies in the sector, will host talks and panel discussions covering every relevant aspect of the audiobook value chain, from production to marketing.
Fabely.es Users: Key Players in the Bookwire Audiobook Awards
The public played a key role in the Bookwire Audiobook Awards by selecting the title awarded the Fabely Mention for Best Audiobook of the Year, in a vote held this past July.
Since October 2024, Fabely has been the independent recommendation platform for audiobook fans and an effective marketing tool for the audiobook industry. With curated lists and centralized access to over 310,000 titles available through partners such as Audible, Spotify, BookBeat, and Thalia, Fabely helps listeners quickly find the right audiobook in the growing audio market. For audiobook professionals, Fabely also offers a user-centered platform to build visibility and reach target audiences—with customizable profiles, themed audiobook lists, and direct links to stores and streaming platforms. In addition, Fabely provides further reach through social media, newsletters, podcasts, and trade show appearances.
Visit Fabely's website here: https://www.fabely.com/es
About Bookwire
Bookwire is a leading international digital publishing business, known for its pioneering Bookwire OS software solution. Founded in Frankfurt in 2010 as a service provider for publisher distribution of digital content, Bookwire currently employs 160 people in Germany, the UK, Spain, France, Brazil, Italy and the USA, who take care of ebooks, audiobooks, podcasts and print-on-demand for more than 3,500 publishers. The pioneering software "Bookwire OS – One Solution" delivers, analyzes, and markets around 1,500,000 eBooks and 300,000 audiobooks in all relevant distribution channels. In addition to the latest customer analytics and pricing technology, publishing clients of Bookwire also have access to individual support from account & marketing managers who look after the clients from end to end. Bookwire is led by the founders Jens Klingelhöfer (CEO) and John Ruhrmann (Co-CEO), as well as by Christian Lindemann (COO), and has branches in Barcelona, London, Milano, São Paulo, New York and Paris, in addition to the company headquarters in Frankfurt am Main and the "Digital Hub" in Dortmund.
Press contacts: premios@bookwire.es
