From the discoverer of planets to the trainer of bacteria: the Princess of Girona Awards 2026

BarcelonaFilmmaker Gemma Blasco, social entrepreneur Hatim Azahri, biotechnologist Patricia Aymà, entrepreneur Mercedes Bidart, and astrophysicists Rafael Luque and José Eduardo Méndez are the six recipients of the Princess of Girona Awards 2026. The six awardees will receive the Princess of Girona Foundation awards this Tuesday in an event at the Gran Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona, a ceremony that will be presided over by the Spanish royal family with the presence of the Princess of Asturias and Girona, Leonor, and Infanta Sofia. The awardees have highlighted "the privilege and responsibility" that this recognition entails and have thanked the opportunity to "inspire" other young people in fields as relevant as science and technology.

In an event prior to the awards ceremony held this Monday, the awardees took the opportunity to encourage young people to pursue their dreams and reflect on how they can contribute to improving the world. One of this year's awardees, Hamit Azahri, pointed out that the stories behind this award "can help create another society" and stressed that "change is possible." Patricia Aymà, for her part, appealed to young people to "follow their most genuine curiosity," and Mercedes Bidart urged them to seek strength "by returning to the basics: appreciating family, friends, and nature."

"What we lacked, we try to make accessible"

Among the state awardees is Barcelona native Patricia Aymà, who has won this edition's CreaEmpresa award. The biotechnologist and scientific entrepreneur presents herself as a "bacteria trainer" who uses biotechnology to redesign the materials of the future. Her connection with bacteria began during her childhood, when she started suffering from continuous respiratory infections. Years later, she discovered the potential of these microorganisms and currently works to demonstrate that the bioplastics revolution can have a global impact.

Hatim Azahri, for his part, has been awarded in the social category for his commitment to social justice, coexistence, and youth participation. Born in Nador, Morocco, and raised from the age of two in the Poble-sec neighborhood of Barcelona, the young man transforms abandoned or wasted spaces into meeting points for young people living on the streets, many of whom are in vulnerable situations. "What we lacked, we try to make accessible and friendly," says the awardee.

Film director and screenwriter Gemma Blasco, recognized with the award in the field of art, has highlighted that art serves to pose "uncomfortable" questions for society, as she states she did with the film La fúria, a film for which she was nominated for the 2026 Goya Awards for best new director. The young Barcelona native values the importance of dedicating oneself to what we love: "I don't have a university degree, but I'm here," she pointed out.

Cordovan researcher Rafael Luque has been awarded the Scientific Research prize. Considered one of the international benchmarks in the study of exoplanets, Luque has accumulated thousands of hours of sky observation since he started this hobby at just twelve years old. "I was looking for the blackest possible skies in Andalusia," he explained, after confessing his subsequent love for mathematics and physics. The astrophysicist, who has identified dozens of planets outside our solar system, had always been clear that he would return home after expanding his studies abroad: "I wanted to make Spain a leader in the field of exoplanets. We have very high potential."

Regarding the two international awardees, this year's Princess of Girona awards have been presented to the Argentine entrepreneur Mercedes Bidart, winner of the International Business Creation award for her project Quipu, the 'fintech' that develops credit infrastructure to boost micro-businesses in the informal economy in Latin America in response to a widespread need on the American continent, and to the Mexican astrophysicist José Eduardo Méndez, who has obtained the International Research award. Méndez's curiosity about knowledge and the origin of life led him to delve into the study of nebulae, which allow us to understand the past of the Universe, he explained.

The ceremony will be held at the Gran Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona for the second consecutive year. The director of the Princess of Girona Foundation, Salvador Tasquè, has stated that this year's six awardees "are the tip of the iceberg" of the work carried out by this organization, which supports tens of thousands of young people each year through various activities and initiatives.