Hungarian PEN Club is an affiliate of International PEN.^[1] The Hungarian Club was established in 1926 by Antal Radó. Early writers associated with the club included Albert Berzeviczy and Jenő Rákosi. Prominent members include Zsolt Harsányi, Miklós Hubay, Dezső Kosztolányi, Sándor Márai, Árpád Göncz, Gábor Görgey, and Zoltán Sumonyi.

In 2012, the club established a new literary award for International poetry called the Janus Pannonius International Poetry Prize, later renamed the Grand Prize for Poetry. It includes a prize of €50,000 funded by the Hungarian government.^[1] The award is named in honor of Hungarian poet Janus Pannonius (1434-1472) and is presented yearly on his birthday, August 29. There are also two translation prizes, each with the award of €3,000.

In 2012, the inaugural award was rejected by American recipient Lawrence Ferlinghetti due to concerns over human rights issues in Hungary under Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, since the award is sponsored by the Hungarian government.^[1] Ferlinghetti wrote that "Since the policies of this right-wing regime tend toward authoritarian rule and the consequent curtailing of freedom of expression and civil liberties, I find it impossible for me to accept the Prize in the United States. Thus, I must refuse the prize in its present terms."^[1][2][3][4] In 2013, the club announced that "To avoid similar concerns in the future, the financial part of the prize has been sourced from private donations alone."^[5]