# All winners of the Pessoa Prize (1987–2025)

Created in 1987 by the newspaper Expresso, with the sponsorship of Caixa Geral de Depósitos, the Pessoa Prize every year distinguishes a Portuguese person who has distinguished himself in scientific, artistic or literary life. From the historian José Mattoso, the first winner, to the writer Lídia Jorge, in 2025, passing through Maria João Pires, António and Hanna Damásio or Eduardo Souto de Moura. Herberto Helder refused the prize in 1994.

- 45 votes · 39 items
- Jul 7, 2026 · roteiro_poa
- https://even.best/en/l/5522/all-winners-of-the-pessoa-prize-1987-2025

## Top 39

1. **Maria João Pires (1989)** (3 · ▲3 ▼0) — Pianist.
2. **Luís Miguel Cintra (2005)** (3 · ▲3 ▼0) — Actor and director.
3. **João Luís Carrilho da Graça (2008)** (3 · ▲3 ▼0) — Architect.
4. **António Damásio and Hanna Damásio (1992)** (2 · ▲3 ▼1) — Neuroscientist researchers.
5. **José Mattoso (1987)** (2 · ▲2 ▼0) — Historian, medievalist and university professor.
6. **António Ramos Rosa (1988)** (2 · ▲2 ▼0) — Poet.
7. **Menez (1990)** (2 · ▲2 ▼0) — Painter.
8. **Fernando Gil (1993)** (2 · ▲2 ▼0) — Philosopher and poet.
9. **Herberto Hélder (1994)** (2 · ▲2 ▼0) — Poet (refused the prize).
10. **João Bénard da Costa (2001)** (2 · ▲2 ▼0) — Cinephile and film historian.
11. **Eduardo Lourenço (2011)** (2 · ▲2 ▼0) — Essayist.
12. **Frederico Lourenço (2016)** (2 · ▲2 ▼0) — Writer, translator and university professor.
13. **Tiago Pitta e Cunha (2021)** (2 · ▲2 ▼0) — Jurist specialized in maritime matters.
14. **Cláudio Torres (1991)** (1 · ▲1 ▼0) — Archaeologist.
15. **João Lobo Antunes (1996)** (1 · ▲1 ▼0) — Neurosurgeon.
16. **Eduardo Souto de Moura (1998)** (1 · ▲1 ▼0) — Architect.
17. **Emmanuel Nunes (2000)** (1 · ▲1 ▼0) — Composer.
18. **Manuel Sobrinho Simões (2002)** (1 · ▲1 ▼0) — Medicine researcher.
19. **Mário Cláudio (2004)** (1 · ▲1 ▼0) — Writer.
20. **D. Manuel Clemente (2009)** (1 · ▲1 ▼0) — Bishop, historian and university professor.
21. **Maria do Carmo Fonseca (2010)** (1 · ▲1 ▼0) — Scientist.
22. **Richard Zenith (2012)** (1 · ▲1 ▼0) — Writer and translator.
23. **Manuel Aires Mateus (2017)** (1 · ▲1 ▼0) — Architect.
24. **José Tolentino de Mendonça (2023)** (1 · ▲1 ▼0) — Poet and cardinal of the Catholic Church.
25. **Vasco Graça Moura (1995)** (0 · ▲0 ▼0) — Essayist, translator and writer.
26. **José Cardoso Pires (1997)** (0 · ▲0 ▼0) — Writer.
27. **José Gomes Canotilho (2003)** (0 · ▲0 ▼0) — Constitutionalist.
28. **Irene Flunser Pimentel (2007)** (0 · ▲0 ▼0) — Historian.
29. **Henrique Leitão (2014)** (0 · ▲0 ▼0) — Physicist, science historian and university professor.
30. **Rui Chafes (2015)** (0 · ▲0 ▼0) — Sculptor.
31. **Miguel Bastos Araújo (2018)** (0 · ▲0 ▼0) — Researcher and geographer.
32. **Tiago Rodrigues (2019)** (0 · ▲0 ▼0) — Actor, director and artistic director.
33. **Elvira Fortunato (2020)** (0 · ▲0 ▼0) — Scientist in the field of microelectronics and optoelectronics.
34. **João Luís Barreto Guimarães (2022)** (0 · ▲0 ▼0) — Poet, translator and doctor.
35. **Luís Tinoco (2024)** (0 · ▲0 ▼0) — Composer.
36. **Lídia Jorge (2025)** (0 · ▲0 ▼0) — Writer.
37. **Manuel Alegre and José Manuel Rodrigues (1999)** (-1 · ▲0 ▼1) — Poet and photographer, respectively.
38. **António Câmara (2006)** (-1 · ▲0 ▼1) — Professor and researcher in new technologies and information society.
39. **Maria Manuel Mota (2013)** (-1 · ▲0 ▼1) — Investigator.

How is this ranking ordered? By people's votes: each ▲ adds a point and each ▼ takes one away. Anyone can vote and add what is missing.