Emma Sepúlveda Becomes First Latin American Woman to Receive the International Mercouri Prize

Emma Sepúlveda, Emerita Foundation Professor of Spanish at the University of Nevada Reno, has received the Melina Mercouri International Prize from UNESCO-Greece. The biennial international award recognizes individuals who champion human rights through creative expression. Dr. Sepúlveda is the first Latin American woman to receive the award.

Dr. Sepúlveda joined the University of Nevada Reno in 1987 as a faculty member in the department of foreign languages and literature. She was the university’s first Latina to become a full professor and the first Latinx scholar to receive the Foundation Professor designation. She also founded the Latino Research Center and served as its first director. Her research focuses on contemporary Latin American and Spanish poetry and testimonial literature.

As an author, Dr. Sepúlveda has published 17 books, including the recently translated 70 Days of Night: 33 Trapped Miners and the Hidden Story of a Rescue (Editorial Catalonia, 2024). Her bibliography includes works of poetry, non-fiction, photography, literary criticism, and textbooks that have been translated into several different languages.

Born in Argentina and raised in Chile, Dr. Sepúlveda earned her bachelor’s degree and master’s degree from the University of Nevada Reno. She received her Ph.D. in Latin American and Peninsular literature from the University of California, Davis.