Princess of Asturias Awards

The Princess of Asturias Awards —Prince of Asturias Awards from 1981 to 2014— are awards presented by the heir to the Spanish throne and are intended to honor the scientific, technical, cultural, social and human work carried out by people, institutions, groups of people or institutions in the international field, although with special attention in the Hispanic field.

In October 2014, the board of trustees of the Prince of Asturias Foundation approved that both the institution and the prizes be renamed "Princess of Asturias", in reference to the heiress to the Crown, Princess Leonor de Borbón, after the coronation of his father as Felipe VI of Spain. In 2015, Wikipedia won the award in the International Cooperation category.

They were declared an "exceptional contribution to the cultural heritage of humanity" by Unesco in 2005.

Geed and constitution of the Foundation

It was the journalist Graciano García who promoted the idea of setting up a foundation that would first bear the name of Fundación Principado de Asturias, later to be renamed Fundación Príncipe de Asturias; in his own words:

"For the Asturians [the 1978 Magna Carta] had a special meaning because the most significant institutions of our history were recovered: the title of Prince of Asturias for the heir of the Crown and that of Principality for our community. In these circumstances, my idea was to create a Foundation that would establish strong links between the Prince and his Principality and to vertebrate that relationship through the promotion of culture, the encouragement of concord and cooperation among peoples."

On September 24, 1980, the foundation's constitutional charter was signed. of Bourbon and Greece, and with the presence of the kings of Spain.

The then president of the Asturias Savings Bank, Adolfo Barthe Aza, who chaired the Foundation's Management Committee, opened the solemn act thanking the presence of the members of the royal family, for whom he wished that «the Foundation be From now on, his second home."

Organizational details

Teatro Campoamor during the delivery of the Princess of Asturias Awards

The Prince of Asturias Awards are given in the city of Oviedo, capital of the Principality of Asturias, in a solemn ceremony that is held annually at the Campoamor Theatre. This ceremony is attended by personalities from the cultural, business and sports world of Spain, as well as political authorities from the regional and national government.

The ceremony was presided over between 1981 and 2013 by the then Prince Felipe de Borbón who only missed the appointment in 1984 because of his studies; In principle, accompanied on the stage of the Campoamor Theater by his parents, the kings of Spain, and from his coming of age until his marriage to the now Queen Letizia, he will preside over the table unipersonally.

His mother, Queen Sofía has been present at the ceremony every year. She witnesses the act from the presidential box of the Teatro Campoamor.

In the 2014 edition, Felipe de Borbón, and King Felipe VI, presided again on behalf of his daughter, the Princess of Asturias, Leonor de Borbón, who was present for the first time, together with her sister, the Infanta Sofía, at the 2019 ceremony.

Each award consists of a diploma, a sculpture by Joan Miró representative of the award, an insignia with the coat of arms of the Prince of Asturias Foundation, and an economic endowment of && &&&&&&&&050000.&&&&&050,000 euros. If the prize were shared, each winner would correspond to the proportional part of its amount.

If the winner does not attend the award ceremony, they will not receive the prize money or the sculpture. And this even in the event that the absence is due to reasons of force majeure. The case of Bob Dylan was heard in 2007, who refused to go to Oviedo and unsuccessfully requested that the sculpture be sent to him. Writer Philip Roth was also unable to attend in 2012, but due to justified medical reasons. And Pau and Marc Gasol were not authorized in 2015 by their respective basketball teams. The result is the same in all cases.

According to the bases, all winners of previous editions, personalities and institutions invited by the foundation, Spanish embassies, diplomatic representations in Spain, members of each one of the juries regarding the other awards, as well as personalities and institutions of recognized prestige.

The decision of all the juries of the awards is made between the months of April to June. Said meetings of juries and rulings are held at the Hotel de la Reconquista, precisely the latter in the Covadonga Room, in homage and memory of that first act of constitution of the Príncipe de Asturias Foundation.

Awards Week

The so-called “awards week” begins a few days before the awards ceremony, always on a Friday, with the successive arrival of the winners at the Hotel Reconquista. During those days, the winners participate in various public events (talks and meetings in cultural centers, schools, universities, sports centers, etc.) that take place in different Asturian towns. Some of the venues for this type of event are, normally, the Jovellanos Theater in Gijón, the University of Oviedo, the old Arms Factory in Oviedo or the Niemeyer Center in Avilés, among others. The tribute concert to the winners carried out by the Principality Symphony Orchestra in the Oviedo Auditorium is also traditional. The week ends with the visit of the kings to the exemplary town the day after the awards ceremony.

First Editions

In their first editions, these awards were granted exclusively to Ibero-American personalities and institutions, it is from 1990 and coinciding with the tenth anniversary of the creation of the Prince of Asturias Foundation, when after an extensive debate, the extension was agreed of candidacies to the universal field, thus contributing to its greater international projection.

The first delivery ceremony of the Prince of Asturias Awards was held on Saturday, October 3, 1981, at the Campoamor Theater in Oviedo; this date came in each edition determined by the agendas of the kings of Spain and the prince of Asturias, however the need to establish an exact date, at least one year in advance, so that the different agents auditors could meet their commitments.

The Awards ceremony is traditionally held in October.

Later Editions

In these first editions and in the absence of precedents, the image and protocol of the Awards ceremony undergoes multiple variations until reaching its current image and ceremonial starting in 1998. In October 2014, the Board of Trustees The Prince of Asturias Foundation approved that both the institution and the awards be renamed "Princess of Asturias", in reference to the heiress to the Crown, Princess Leonor de Borbón. In 2005, UNESCO considered the Princess of Asturias Awards Asturias of «exceptional contribution to the cultural heritage of humanity».

In the 2017 edition, the Princess of Asturias Awards were strongly marked by the Catalan independence movement. That is why in addition to the demonstration for the republic that had been held for years in the Plaza de la Escandalera, there was also a demonstration for the unity of Spain in front of the Campoamor Theater with hundreds of attendees. In addition to the demonstrators themselves, it was possible to appreciate the large number of Spanish flags that people carried. In this edition, the winner of the Princess of Asturias Award for Concord was the European Union, which was attended by Donald Tusk, President of the European Council; the President of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker and the President of the European Parliament, Antonio Tajani. Tusk, in his speech, unwaveringly supported the central government in the face of the Catalan challenge, saying that "the law must be complied with by all". the full support of the European Union towards the Government of Spain. Finally, this edition closed with the famous speech of the king (one of the most important of the year) arguing that "the conflict of secession will be resolved by means of the Constitution". This was the first year that the Princess of Asturias Awards had the presence of the President of the Government, Mariano Rajoy, since the mandate of Leopoldo Calvo Sotelo.

Categories

Award ceremony in 2015 at the Teatro Campoamor

The Prince of Asturias Awards were established in 1981, initially in six categories: Arts, Social Sciences, Communication and Humanities, International Cooperation (previously called Ibero-American Cooperation), Scientific and Technical Research, and Literature. The Concord Award was established in 1986, and the last to be incorporated was the Sports Award, which has been awarded since 1987.

Currently, the Princess of Asturias Awards have eight categories:

Princess of Asturias Award for Communication and Humanities

Since 1981, "destined to the work of culture and improvement of sciences and disciplines considered as humanistic activities and of what is related to the social media in all their expressions".

Princess of Asturias Award for Social Sciences

Since 1981, "destinated to the creative and/or research work of history, law, linguistics, pedagogy, political science, psychology, sociology, ethics, philosophy, geography, economy, demographics and anthropology, as well as the disciplines corresponding to each of these fields."

Princess of Asturias Award for the Arts

Since 1981, "from the work of culture and improvement of cinematography, theatre, dance, music, photography, painting, sculpture, architecture and other artistic manifestations".

Princess of Asturias Award of Letters

Since 1981, "destinated to the work of cultivating and improving literary creation in all its genres".

Princess of Asturias Award for Scientific and Technical Research

Since 1981, "from the work of cultivation and improvement of research, discovery and/or invention in mathematics, astronomy and astrophysics, physics, chemistry, life sciences, medical sciences, Earth sciences and space sciences and technological sciences, as well as the disciplines corresponding to each of these fields and the techniques related to them."

Princess of Asturias International Cooperation Award

Since 1981, "from work, individually or collectively, with another or others, on the development and promotion of public health, the universality of education, the protection and defense of the environment and the economic, cultural and social advancement of peoples".

Princess of Asturias Award of Concordia

Since 1986, "destined to the work of defense and generalization of human rights, the promotion and protection of peace, freedom, solidarity, world heritage and, in general, the progress of humanity."

Princess of Asturias Sports Award

Since 1987, "from the paths that, through the promotion, development and improvement of sport and through solidarity and commitment, have become an example of the possibilities that sports practice entails for the benefit of human beings."

Award Winners