The Esteban Campodónico Prize is a prize awarded annually since 1995 to individuals or institutions that have benefited Peruvian society by their work. The prize is funded by a legacy left by Esteban Campodónico, an Italian-Peruvian medical doctor, university professor, and philanthropist. The prize is managed jointly by Clover Foundation in New York and the University of Piura in Piura, Peru.
The aim of the prize is to recognize and encourage outstanding individuals and institutions for their commitment and significant contributions to the development of Peruvian society, especially its most vulnerable populations.
Establishment of the Prize Dr. Esteban Campodónico was born in Italy in 1866. At age 13 he immigrated with his family to Peru, where he studied medicine and became a physician and professor of medicine at the National University of San Marcos in Lima.
He was unmarried until the last year of his life and had no children. He had several sisters who married and had children. In his will, drawn up in August 1937, he specified that his Peruvian assets would be left to his relatives, but in addition, he established a fund whose income would be used for prizes "to further the scientific progress in Peru, with humane and welfare purpose."
However, in September, 1937 he traveled to the United States, and on June 30, 1938 he married Ethel C. Graff, a California socialite who lived in Oakland, California. It is not known exactly how they met; most likely they met while both were traveling, and kept in touch by letter thereafter. It could have been something similar to what we know happened earlier: on a trip to Europe with her parents in 1914, Ethel met a German physician and two years later announced her engagement to him, although ultimately that wedding did not take place. Dr. Campodonico amended his will so that the earnings of the trust fund would support his widow after his death. The couple took a steamer to Peru; during the trip he contracted pneumonia and died on October 23, 1938. Ethel was 52 years old at the time of his death, and lived to be 97.
Following his widow's death in 1984, Citibank, which held the trust fund, encountered difficulties in implementing the prize according to the terms of the will. There was to be a foundation to manage the prize, with a committee of directors composed of the Dean of the National University of San Marcos, the Manager of the Public Welfare Society of Lima, the Italian ambassador in Lima or his representative, the manager of the Italian Bank in Lima, and the manager of the Lima branch of the City Bank of New York. At the time the will was composed these were all friends, relatives, or colleagues of his. But by now, those individuals had died, and their successors were unable or unwilling to serve on the committee. Furthermore, there were legal problems involving the international character of the proposed foundation, with the funds in a U.S. account but to be administered by a foundation based in Peru. The scope of the prize, outlined below, was also rather ambitious for the amount of funds available. Citibank worked with Dr. Campodonico's relatives in Peru to find a solution, but without success. Time was running out, since according to law, if a solution were not found within 10 years, the funds would revert to the state.
Finally, by chance, in 1991, a lawyer working on the matter for Citibank talked about these difficulties over lunch with his friend Ralph Coti, a lawyer who happened to be on the board of directors of Clover Foundation. Clover is a private foundation based in the U.S., which was established in 1985 by a wealthy Mexican couple, Francisco and Begoña Gómez, to support charitable, educational, and cultural initiatives in Mexico and other countries. Clover Foundation already had a relationship with the University of Piura. Dr. Coti realized that Clover could be the entity in the United States that would ensure that the use and reporting of fund disbursements comply with the Internal Revenue Service regulations with respect to foreign grants, while the University of Piura could act as its agent in operating the prize in Peru. This solution was presented to Citibank, which accepted the plan. A judgment was obtained from the Supreme Court of New York State altering the terms of the will in a way that "would carry out the general intent of the Settlor for distributing awards for Peruvian scientific, literary, humanitarian and artistic achievements out of the trust income and in the name of the Settlor," while being practical to implement.
Original Plan for the Prize In his will, Dr. Campodonico envisioned that each year the earnings from the fund would be divided and distributed on a four-year cycle as follows. (In this outline, the wording follows as closely as possible the official English translation of the will, only making modifications for brevity and clarity, and to correct minor errors.)
First year: four equal portions, to be awarded to the person who has published the best scientific treatise on medical and hygienic sciences, particularly applicable in Peru. the person responsible for the best publication on Natural Sciences in any of its branches, such as Botany, Zoology, Geology and Paleontology, and this particularly for what concerns Peru. the Italian Hospital in Lima as a donation to increase and promote the ophthalmic department of the daily clinic for the poor of any nationality, provided that the said Hospital will name this department and its premises "Campodonico Ophthalmic Department". (Ophthalmology was one of Dr. Campodonico's specialties, and he offered free treatment to the indigent in this clinic for many years.) that person who, according to the Geographic Society of Lima, has made the best studies and research in Geography, Ethnology, Archeology, historic and prehistoric, concerning Peru.
Second year: four equal portions, to be applied to the philology of the Incas and languages allied with Quechua, Aymara, etc. the best work of art of Incan or colonial theme. the person who shall have made outstanding studies of Greek and Latin classics in Peru. assist his nephews and nieces who, in the estimate of the Committee, are more in need, and if these have died or if none of his nephews and nieces are in need, this portion is to be given to that person who, according to the Faculty in Medicine, has made the best studies on the Peruvian wart. (Dr. Campodonico had a special interest in this disease, also known as Carrion's disease.)
Third year: five equal portions applicable to the most important publication in Sociology for what pertains to Peru. for the best literary publication relating to Peru. to the person who has achieved the greatest deed in Peruvian territory. (The original Spanish adds "or having Peruvian territory as their point of departure or arrival", suggesting Dr. Campodonico wanted to include feats of exploration.) to that Italian subject who, according to the judgment of the Italian Minister, after hearing the report of the Committee of the Italian Colony, has brought outstanding honor to Italy and Peru in Science, Arts and other extraordinary fields. to that person who, in the judgment of the Faculty in Medicine, has made the best study on Peruvian endemic diseases.
Fourth year: two unequal parts four-fifths applied to the promotion and support of a periodical publication of literary-scientific character published in his memory as often as permitted by the material and funds, and named "Minerva Peruana". one-fifth applied to the conservation and restoration, if necessary, and the weekly cleaning of the monument erected in the Cemetery of Lima in memory of his mother.
In the fifth year, the cycle returns to the beginning.
The will also specifies that the prize for each of these accomplishments will be named "Esteban Campodonico Prize".
Current Plan of the Prize The court judgment greatly simplified the plan for the prize. The court deemed it advisable for the fund to be exempt from federal and state taxes. In order to meet this requirement, it was necessary that the fund have only charitable interests. Therefore the judgment removed the items that benefited Dr. Campodonico's relatives personally: the aid to any needy nephews and nieces, and the maintenance of his mother's tomb (where he himself was also buried). The relatives in Peru attested that none of them were needy, and that they could take care of the maintenance of the tomb. The court also ordered that Citibank pay the net income received from the fund in annual or more frequent installments to Clover, and that "The Clover Foundation make awards in the memory and name of the Settlor exclusively for achievements for scientific, literary, artistic and humanitarian fields in Peru in order to accomplish the general charitable purposes of the Settlor without being obliged to follow the specific restrictions and limitations as set forth in the Peruvian Will of the Settlor".
The fund endowed by Dr. Campodonico was established as "Campodonico Foundation", a nonexempt charitable trust under Section 4947(a)(1) the U.S. Internal Revenue Code. Although such a trust is not exempt from income taxes, if it uses all of its income for charitable purposes, it will have no taxable income. In accordance with the regulations of this code, the installments paid annually to The Clover Foundation are not actually equal to the annual earnings from the fund. Rather, the payments are equal to five percent of the market value of the fund. A part of this amount is used for the prize money, and the balance is spent on operating expenses.
Clover engaged the services of the University of Piura to administer the prize in Peru. The university was founded in 1969 in Piura, a coastal city in the north of Peru, at the inspiration of Josemaría Escrivá, founder of Opus Dei. The university solicits nominations, impanels a jury to select the prize winner, and holds the prize ceremony. Usually the prize ceremony is held in Lima, where the university has a branch campus. The prize was first awarded in 1995.
From 1995 to 2012, two or three prizes were awarded annually, in the areas of outstanding professional accomplishment of an individual and direct services to society of an individual or organization. Beginning in 2013, one prize is awarded each year, alternating between the areas of outstanding professional accomplishment (odd years) and direct services to society (even years).
Prizewinners
As of 2025, 53 persons or organizations were awarded the prize. Below is a list of the winners in each of the two areas. In this list, a cross † after the name indicates that the person has died. Short biographies or histories of the prize winners have been collected in a book which is available online.
Prizes in area of outstanding professional accomplishment These prizes are awarded to individuals whose professional work is particularly notable and directly in service to society, not simply successful professionals.
1995: José Raúl Davelouis McEvoy † — Agricultural engineer who studied the restoration of degraded soils and promoted the use of phosphate rock (of organic origin) found in Bayóvar, on the northern coast of Peru, as fertilizer.
1996: Liliana Mayo — Psychologist and special education teacher, founder and general director of Centro Ann Sullivan del Perú (named for the teacher of Helen Keller), which assists people with developmental disabilities such as autism or Down syndrome.
1997: Alberto Giesecke Matto † — Electrical engineer and seismologist, he specialized in geophysics and the mitigation of natural disasters.