The 20th edition of the Rómulo Gallegos novel award, one of the greatest literary awards in Latin American literature, was suspended this year for the first time in 50 years, for budget reasons and will have a new call in 2018.

There was no call due to the organizers having trouble securing the prize (a check from 100.000 Dollars), which among its winners includes intellectuals such as Mario Vargas Llosa, Carlos Fuentes, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Roberto Bolaño and, more recently, the Mexican Elena Poniatowska and the Colombian Pablo Montoya.

The award was created in 1967 in honor of the renowned Venezuelan writer, but in this edition the lack of foreign exchange in Venezuela, despite being an oil country, reached the literary award faster than expected, since scarce dollars are used in large part in the importation of food and medicine.