The decision was made after the writer refused to publish his novel with Pagès Editors, the publisher that, according to the contest rules, holds the rights to publish the winning work. The author had already planned to publish the book with another company, which prompted the jury's intervention.
The conflict erupted when another publisher informed Pagès Editors that the novel was already prepared for sale in September and available for pre-order on various digital platforms. This violates the requirement that submitted works must not have been previously published and the obligation for exclusive assignment of exploitation rights.
Given this situation, the jury has chosen to stop the payment of the 5,500-euro prize money and declare the award void. The organizing entity has defended the measure as a necessary action to ensure transparency and the prestige of the award, which is considered the oldest mystery novel prize in the Catalan language.
