The Pessoa Prize (Portuguese: Prémio Pessoa, Portuguese pronunciation: [ˌpɾɛmju pɨˈsoɐ]), named after Fernando Pessoa, is recognized as the most important award in the area of Portuguese culture.[1] Created in 1987 by the newspaper Expresso and the IT company Unisys, since 2008 the prize has been sponsored by Caixa Geral de Depósitos. It is granted annually to the Portuguese person who during this period, and in the course of previous activity, has distinguished him or herself as a figure in scientific, artistic, or literary life.