It was a magical night in Lloret de Mar, a small town near Barcelona, as the local Congress Forum played host for the Princess of Girona Awards ceremony.
Shortly after 7:15pm, the ceremony began, being hosted by journalist José Yélamo. The musical interludes were provided by a group of young children who are part of the Art Generation programme offered by the Princess of Girona Foundation.
The format was slightly changed compared to previous years, with the award recipients still being introduced by a short video telling their stories and the story of the reason why they were awarded the prize, but with the added bonus of the laureates themselves then jumping on stage to tell a two-minute story about themselves and what brought them to the point they are, as well as making their story into a message for the young generation.
They then took one question from a member of the public, before returning to their first row seats. Their short monologues were interrupted in the middle by a short chat that host José Yélamo held with synchronised swimming Olympic medallist Ona Carbonell.
She talked about the key role of mental health in her career, and in all matters in life; she also talked at length about the role that obstacles along her way played in shaping who she is right now and in helping her along her growth journey.
After the rest of the laureates got their moment to shine, it was time for the Royals, as well as the Minister of Industry and Tourism and the President of the Princess of Girona Foundation, to get on stage and hand out the prizes.
Each of the five laureates present got a few seconds to shake everyone’s hand and pose for the traditional photograph, before getting back to their seats.
The awards were given to:
- Antonio Espinosa de Montero (CreaEmpresa, for his business in selling water, which subsequently funds projects that bring drinking waters to places that still don’t have access to it; he also funded a brand of sustainable car manufacturing);
- Victoria Luengo (Art; she is an actress that has been starring in several movies and tv shows, as well as in theatre pieces. Her latest production is a one-woman show that talks about sexual violence);
- Daniel Millor Vela (Social; his project involves pulling together resources from local communities in order to create better living conditions in more disadvantages areas of cities in Spain);
- Moisés Expósito-Alonso (Research; his work is in biology, and he focuses on searching for plants whose DNA has evolved to adapt to survive the new conditions brought along by climate change);
- Susana Arrechea (International CreaEmpresa; her NGO New Sun Road Guatemala aims at empowering women through education, and specifically through providing technological tools);
- Yarivith González (International Research; her work focuses on finding new techniques to extract and regenerate heavy metals from batteries, like lithium, manganese and cobalt, in order to further improve the green transition into a closed circuit that doesn’t need the creation of new resources. Ms Gonzáles sadly wasn’t able to be present in person).
After the awards, Princess Leonor gave a speech, during which she spoke in both Spanish and Catalan. In it, she remarked how exemplary the laureate’s accomplishments are for her generation, and how inspirational she finds them.
She said: “The stories of Susana, Antonio, Victoria, Moisés, Yarivith and Daniel have several things in common […]. They understood that they couldn’t do it alone/ They thought differently. They took risks. They gave a new meaning to these words: sustainable, accessible, inclusive”, adding: “Us young feel a new push, we think big and look up, without loosing sight of reality, but with hope and energy to keep working in making things better”.
It was then King Felipe’s turn to take to the microphone. He also used both Spanish and Catalan, and her firstly remarked on the happy coincidence of the many anniversaries being celebrated: his 10 years on the throne, the Foundation’s 15th anniversary, and the first attendance by Princess Leonor after her 18th birthday, and her subsequent pledge to the constitution.
He praised his and Queen Letizia’s daughters, and with them their whole generation, for their “engagement in valuing, promoting and supporting the young talents of our country. A talent that grows, connects and makes our whole society riches; which is diverse and, at the same time, exemplary; and which, year after year, impresses us and makes us happy”.
But the highlight of his speech came shortly after: “Listening to the Princess’ words, recognising and admiring the extraordinary talent of there 6 new reference points in innovation, creativity, conviction, constance, engagement and, most importantly, generosity; listening to her words, as I was saying, makes me proud as King and moves me as a father. Leonor, Sofía, Thank you!”.
This was a clear echo of the concluding sentence of Princess Leonor and Infanta Sofía’s short surprise speech during the celebrations of King Felipe’s 10th proclamation anniversary.
He went on to highlight the greatly positive impact that the Foundation’s programmes have had on younger generations, as well as thanking the Foundation’s staff and patrons for their work and contributions, which have generated so much positive change in local and national society.
King Felipe then went back to his seat, where Princess Leonor was captured by cameras grabbing his hand, and not letting is go until the end of the ceremony, which came shortly after, with the closing remarks by host José Yélamo.
The Princess of Girona Foundation, and its corresponding Awards scheme, were created in 2008 (at the time, they were the Prince of Girona Foundation and Awards), in the midst of the economic recession, at a time when Spain was battered by unemployment, especially in the young generation.
From there, the idea came up for a space entirely dedicated to the future citizens of Spain, and those who still had the opportunity to set up long term solutions for the economic future of the country.
Since then, the Awards scheme has gone international, and the Foundation has put in place several programmes, including the latest related to art and its benefits on mental health, which have reached more than 100.000 young people in 2023 alone.
