The Princess of Asturias Awards ( es, Premios Princesa de Asturias, links=no, ast, Premios Princesa d'Asturies, links=no), formerly the Prince of Asturias Awards from 1981 to 2014 ( es, Premios Príncipe de Asturias, links=no), are a series of annual prizes awarded in Spain by the Princess of Asturias Foundation (previously the Prince of Asturias Foundation) to individuals, entities or organizations from around the world who make notable achievements in the sciences, humanities, and public affairs. The awards are presented every October in a solemn ceremony at the Campoamor Theatre in

Oviedo Oviedo (; ast, Uviéu ) is the capital city of the Principality of Asturias in northern Spain and the administrative and commercial centre of the region. It is also the name of the municipality that contains the city. Oviedo is located ap ...

, the capital of the

Principality of Asturias Asturias (, ; ast, Asturies ), officially the Principality of Asturias ( es, Principado de Asturias; ast, Principáu d'Asturies; Galician-Asturian: ''Principao d'Asturias''), is an autonomous community in northwest Spain. It is coextensive ...

, and are handed out by the

Princess of Asturias Prince or Princess of Asturias ( es, link=no, Príncipe/Princesa de Asturias; ast, Príncipe d'Asturies) is the main substantive title used by the heir apparent or heir presumptive to the monarchy of Spain, throne of Spain. According to the Sp ...

. Each recipient present at the ceremony receives a diploma, a sculpture expressly created for the awards by Spanish sculptor

Joan Miró Joan Miró i Ferrà ( , , ; 20 April 1893 – 25 December 1983) was a Catalan painter, sculptor and ceramicist born in Barcelona. A museum dedicated to his work, the Fundació Joan Miró, was established in his native city of Barcelona i ...

and a pin with the emblem of the Foundation. There is also a monetary prize of 50,000

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s for each category; this amount is shared if the category has more that one recipient. They were declared of "exceptional contribution to the cultural heritage of Humanity" by UNESCO in 2005.

Background

The Prince of Asturias Awards were established on 24 September 1980, with the creation of the Prince of Asturias Foundation, in a ceremony presided by

Felipe, Prince of Asturias Felipe VI (;, * eu, Felipe VI.a, * ca, Felip VI, * gl, Filipe VI, . Felipe Juan Pablo Alfonso de Todos los Santos de Borbón y Grecia; born 30 January 1968) is King of Spain. He is the son of former King Juan Carlos I and Queen Sofía, and ...

, then heir to the

throne of Spain , coatofarms = File:Coat_of_Arms_of_Spanish_Monarch.svg , coatofarms_article = Coat of arms of the King of Spain , image = Felipe_VI_in_2020_(cropped).jpg , incumbent = Felipe VI , incumbentsince = 19 Ju ...

, "to consolidate links between the Principality and the Prince of Asturias, and to contribute to, encourage and promote scientific, cultural and humanistic values that form part of mankind's universal heritage". Following the accession of the Prince as King of Spain on 19 June 2014, it was announced that from 2015, the foundation and the awards are to be renamed the Princess of Asturias Awards to reflect the new heiress presumptive to the Spanish throne,

Leonor, Princess of Asturias (Leonor de Todos los Santos de Borbón y Ortiz; born 31 October 2005) is the heir presumptive to the throne of Spain as the elder daughter of King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia. In addition to the official title of Princess of Asturias, she bears t ...

. King Felipe will continue to preside over the awards ceremony until the Princess of Asturias turns 18 (the

age of majority The age of majority is the threshold of legal adulthood as recognized or declared in law. It is the moment when minors cease to be considered such and assume legal control over their persons, actions, and decisions, thus terminating the contr ...

for Spanish royal purposes) on 31 October 2023. Princess Leonor first attended the ceremony, handed out awards to winners and delivered her first speech ever as heiress to the crown during the 39th Princess of Asturias Awards Ceremony on 18 October 2019. Her father, then Prince Felipe, did the same during the 1st Prince of Asturias Awards Ceremony on 31 October 1981. If a laureate does not attend to the ceremony to collect the award he receives neither the sculpture nor the monetary prize, even if the absence is because of force majeure. Only a few laureates have not attended, among them are

Bob Dylan Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan, born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Often regarded as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture during a career sp ...

, who refused to go to Oviedo in 2007 but asked for the sculpture unsuccessfully, writer

Philip Roth Philip Milton Roth (March 19, 1933 – May 22, 2018) was an American novelist and short story writer. Roth's fiction—often set in his birthplace of Newark, New Jersey—is known for its intensely autobiographical character, for philosophicall ...

in 2012 for medical reasons and Pau and

Marc Gasol Marc Gasol Sáez (, ; born January 29, 1985) is a Spanish professional basketball player for Bàsquet Girona of the Liga ACB. The center is a two-time All-NBA Team member and a three-time NBA All-Star. He was named the NBA Defensive Player of ...

in 2015, who were not allowed to attend by their NBA teams.

Categories and Laureates

Prince or Princess of Asturias Award for the Arts

First awarded in 1981 it is aimed at recognizing the work of fostering and advancing the art of film-making, theatre, dance, music, photography, painting, sculpture, architecture or any other form of artistic expression. Bob-Dylan-arrived-at-Arlanda-surrounded-by-twenty-bodyguards-and-assistants-391770740297 (cropped)

Bob-Dylan-arrived-at-Arlanda-surrounded-by-twenty-bodyguards-and-assistants-391770740297 (cropped)

Prince or Princess of Asturias Award for Communication and Humanities

First awarded in 1981 it is aimed at recognizing the work of fostering and advancing the sciences and disciplines considered humanistic activities or any activity related to social communication in any of its forms. Annie Leibovitz-SF-1-Crop

Prince or Princess of Asturias Award for International Cooperation

La Trieste de Magris al CCCB (11)- Premi Princep d'Asturies

First awarded in 1981 it is aimed at recognizing individual or collective work, in cooperation with another or others, to develop and promote public health, universal education, the protection and defence of the environment, as well as the economic, cultural and social advancement of peoples.

Prince or Princess of Asturias Award for Literature

First awarded in 1981 it is aimed at recognizing the work of fostering and advancing literary creation in all its genres.

Prince or Princess of Asturias Award for Social Sciences

First awarded in 1981 it is aimed at recognizing creative and/or research work in the field of history, law, linguistics, teaching, political science, psychology, sociology, ethics, philosophy, geography, economics, demography or anthropology, as well as in the disciplines corresponding to each of these fields. Martha Nussbaum wikipedia 10-10

Prince or Princess of Asturias Award for Sports

First awarded in 1987 it is aimed at recognizing careers which, via the promotion, fostering and advancement of sport and sense of solidarity and commitment, have become an example of the benefits that practising sports can bring to people.

Prince or Princess of Asturias Award for Technical and Scientific Research

First awarded in 1981 it is aimed at recognizing the work of fostering and advancing research in the field of mathematics, astronomy and astrophysics, physics, chemistry, life sciences, medical sciences, earth and space sciences or technological sciences, including those disciplines corresponding to each of these fields as well as their related technologies.

Prince or Princess of Asturias Award for Concord

First awarded in 1986 it is aimed at recognizing the work of defending and advancing human rights, as well as promoting and protecting peace, freedom, solidarity, world heritage and, in general, the progress of humanity. Yehudi Menuhin 43

Exemplary Town of Asturias

Every year, a town or community organization in the

is chosen to receive this award, a royal visit, and a prize of €25,000.

Notes

A. The citation for each award is quoted (not in full) from the minutes of the jury in fpa.es, the official website of the Princess of Asturias Foundation. For a full account of the work done by each Prince or Princess of Asturias laureate, please see the biography articles linked from the name column. B. The laureate did not attend the solemn ceremony to collect the award.

References

External links

Princess of Asturias FoundationPrincess of Asturias Awards
{{Asturias topics Asturian culture Academic awards Spanish awards Spanish literary awards International literary awards Fiction awards Awards established in 1981 1981 establishments in Spain