This award, which has an international character, is given by the Ministry of Culture to a creator for their entire body of work, in recognition of their contribution to Spanish and Spanish-American culture in the field of plastic arts.
The prize is given annually and was first awarded in 2002. Both Spanish nationals and citizens of the American states in the Iberian-American Commonwealth are eligible for the distinction. This prize was created to be on a par with the Cervantes prize in the field of letters, and aims to encourage the artistic communication which has always existed between Spain and American countries with a Spanish heritage. It is endowed with €90,000 and has been awarded to creators such as Antoni Muntadas and Luis Gordillo.