The 2012 Janus Pannonius Grand Prize for Poetry was awarded unanimously to American poet Lawrence Ferlinghetti. Mr. Ferlinghetti first informed the Jury that he was pleased to accept the prize. Later however, he decided not to accept it, since a part of the cash prize was put up by the Hungarian government. Mr. Ferlinghetti said that his insistence on independence would not allow him to such an award. The Hungarian PEN Club was happy that Ferlinghetti accepted the Janus Pannonius Prize and regrets that he eventually decided to change his mind. To avoid similar concerns in the future, the financial part of the prize has been sourced from private donations alone.