The city is considered by some to be “humanity's great invention”. It has played an important role in triggering ecological and geological processes that some scientists call the Anthropocene. Our cities do not exist in isolation: they depend on their natural surroundings to survive. Cultural evolution proceeds more rapidly in urban areas. With the degradation of ecosystems and pandemics caused by our species, it is imperative to build bridges, with the arts and sciences, between the city and non-human nature and between the urban and the rural to understand and alter the course of these processes.

The José Emilio Pacheco City and Nature Literature Prize promotes a dialogue between literature and natural sciences within the context of the most artificial habitat on the face of the Earth: the city. Its goal is to encourage literary creation that explores the human experience at the interface between the urban and the natural. Over one thousand poetry and short-story books have been received from all continents in the few years the award has been in existence.