Esther Vera, director of ARA, National Communication Award

Esther Vera, director of ARA since 2016, has been awarded the National Communication Prize for Press, as announced this morning by the Generalitat. The executive council has agreed to recognize the journalist "for having decisively contributed to consolidating the ARA newspaper as one of the leading newspapers in the country". The award ceremony will take place on May 19 in Sabadell. The jury of the awards also highlights the newspaper's trajectory since its inception in 2010, and points out that the publication has been a pioneer in Catalonia in the development of digital subscriptions and in charging for online content. They add that, with 50,000 subscribers, the media outlet has "its own voice, informative rigor, and the ability to adapt to new consumption habits". Vera has thanked for the award and has assured that she considers it a recognition of "perhaps discreet journalism, but journalism that demands rigor and demands to work, work, work and not be arrogant. To see this work from humility and try to be useful". The director of ARA has assured that upon receiving the news of the award, she first thought of her colleagues at the newspaper and also of her daughter, the main "victim" of a job as intense as directing a newsroom.Born in Badalona in 1967, Esther Vera, a journalist and political scientist specializing in international relations, joined ARA after an extensive career in both audiovisual media and print. As a journalist, she started in radio and later in the International Section of Televisió de Catalunya, where she worked as a reporter covering events related to European and North American politics. After working at Catalunya Ràdio (1992-1995), she was a correspondent for the newspaper Avui, first in Paris and then in Washington. From 2000 to 2004, she was associated with TV3 as editor and presenter of the news program Món33, as deputy director of the political debate program Àgora and, subsequently, as deputy director of the economic program Valor afegit. Later, she was appointed Catalonia delegate for the 24h news channel CNN+ and for the news programs of the generalist television channel Cuatro. Radio and television

In addition to the press category, the National Communication Awards recognize professionals and projects in six other areas. Regarding television, the jury has chosen RTVE Catalunya "in recognition of the more than sixty years that have passed since the first broadcast in Catalan – on October 27, 1964 – and for the sustained defense of the Catalan language throughout all these years". Furthermore, the executive council's agreement also highlights that the public entity has reinforced its commitment to the Catalan audiovisual sector with the launch of La 2 Cat. The 3Cat platform has been distinguished with the National Digital Communication Award for "having consolidated itself as a useful, accessible audiovisual consumption environment fully connected with new audience habits". Regarding the radio field, the award has gone to RAC1, which has just celebrated its 25th anniversary and has achieved the historic milestone of one million daily listeners. "RAC1 has managed to build and consolidate a communication model based on credibility, immediacy, and proximity, which has led it to connect with the audience and achieve historic records," the verdict details. In the category of proximity communication, the prize is awarded ex aequo to Diari de Sabadell and the program Hospital de proximitat, co-produced by TV Mataró and Xarxa Audiovisual Local (XAL). In the field of advertising and corporate communication, the winner is Banc Sabadell for the marketing campaign carried out for the public acquisition offer (OPA) by BBVA.For the second time, the National Honor Award will also be presented, which this year goes to Justo Molinero, promoter of Ràdio Teletaxi, a station with almost 45 years of history. The jury recognizes his work in dignifying popular radio and turning it into a tool for social cohesion. "With a direct, empathetic, and unpretentious style, he has managed over all these years to consolidate an innovative musical format, achieve great audience success, connect with thousands of listeners, and integrate entire generations of immigrants," they highlight. The National Communication Awards were created in 1999 and are the highest recognition for excellence in the field of communication in Catalonia or in the Catalan language.