Learn Hardcore Portuguese (Portugal): O Pedro recebeu um prémio pelo melhor projeto. - Pedro received an award for the best project.

In European Portuguese, it’s very common to use the definite article before a person’s first name (especially in informal speech). So O Pedro is like saying “Pedro” with a bit of friendliness or familiarity. In English we never say “the Pedro,” but in Portugal it’s idiomatic. It isn’t strictly mandatory in writing, but you’ll hear it all the time in conversation.

What tense is recebeu, and why is it used here?

recebeu is the pretérito perfeito simples (simple past) of receber. We use this tense to describe an action that was fully completed in the past. It’s equivalent to the English simple past (“he received”). In Portuguese, the pretérito perfeito is the default way to talk about finished events.

Why do we say um prémio instead of o prémio?

We use the indefinite article um to introduce something new or non-specific. um prémio means “a prize,” not “the prize” (which would imply you already know exactly which one). Once you’ve mentioned um prémio, you could later refer back to o prémio if needed.

What does pelo stand for, and why can’t I say por o or para o?

pelo is the contraction of por + o. In Portuguese, you always contract certain prepositions (por, em, de) with the definite articles that follow.
We use por here to express cause or reason (“for having the best project”).
You cannot leave it as por o—that form doesn’t exist in modern Portuguese.
Para o would imply purpose, destination or recipient, not reason, so it wouldn’t fit this meaning.

Where is the article for melhor projeto in the sentence?

The article o for melhor projeto is already included inside the contraction pelo (por + o). That’s why you don’t see a separate o before melhor projeto.

Why is prémio spelled with an acute accent, and projeto without c?

prémio (European Portuguese) carries an acute accent on the e because that syllable is stressed and the vowel quality is open. In Brazilian Portuguese it’s spelled prêmio with the accent on the o.
As for projeto, the modern Portuguese orthographic agreement dropped the c from the older form projecto. In Brazil it has long been written projeto, so that part is identical.

Is it possible to say o projeto melhor instead of o melhor projeto?

While Portuguese adjectives normally follow the noun, superlatives like melhor almost always precede it: o melhor projeto. Saying o projeto melhor would be grammatically understood but sound awkward and non-idiomatic.

How would this sentence change in Brazilian Portuguese?

You would write:
O Pedro recebeu um prêmio pelo melhor projeto.
The only spelling change is prêmio (Brazilian) instead of prémio (European). Everything else—O, recebeu, um, pelo and projeto—stays exactly the same.