Leonor hands out the Princess of Girona Awards to the best "thought creators"

BarcelonaThe Spanish royal family presented the six Princess of Girona Foundation 2026 awards this Tuesday in a ceremony at the Gran Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona, with the presence of the Princess of Asturias and Girona, King Felipe VI, Queen Letizia, and Infanta Sofia. It is the second consecutive year that the event is held at the Liceu and the eighth that it is held outside the city that gives its name to the awards. At a time when influencers are gaining ground among young people, Leonor has defined the awardees as "thought creators," not content creators.

The rift between Girona and the royal house dates back to 2014, when the City Council, with Carles Puigdemont as mayor, approved a motion rejecting that the title of Princess of Girona should fall to Leonor without the city's consent. The break was consummated in 2017: after the referendum of October 1st and, above all, following Felipe VI's speech on October 3rd endorsing the police action, the municipal plenary declared the monarch persona non grata. The following year, Mayor Marta Madrenas denied the Auditorium of Girona to the Foundation and Quim Torra resigned from the honorary vice-presidency of the entity. Since then, the gala has moved its venue – Vilablareix, Barcelona, Cornellà, Caldes de Malavella, Lloret de Mar – until it settled at the Liceu from last year, coinciding with the arrival of the PSC in the Generalitat. In 2023, moreover, the Girona plenary approved declaring the city "republican and anti-monarchist," and the Anti-Monarchist Coordinator of the Girona regions maintains annual mobilizations against the Foundation's presence in the territory.

"Protecting young talent"

The king has limited himself to giving the spotlight to his daughter, and recalled: "There is another group of young people who also represent us – in relation to the Spanish football team who are also seeking a prize at the World Cup this Tuesday –". Leonor, therefore, was in charge of closing the event with a brief speech in which she referred to the six awardees as her ""influencers" favorites, qualifying that she considers them "natural intelligences" and "creators of thought", not of content. Throughout the speech, she wanted to review the trajectory of each of the awardees, and combined Catalan and Spanish depending on the awardee she was referring to. Finally, she wanted to vindicate the work of the Foundation, "supported by a committed team and patrons", and called for, from the stage of the Liceu, that "young talent be protected".

From the discoverer of planets to the trainer of bacteria

Filmmaker 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. All of them received the awards from the Princess of Girona Foundation this Tuesday in an event at the Gran Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona. The awardees highlighted "the privilege and responsibility" that this recognition entails and 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, colleagues, 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 underutilized 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 art field, 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 leaders in the study of exoplanets, Luque has accumulated thousands of hours of sky observation since he began this hobby at just twelve years old. "I was looking for the darkest skies possible 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 benchmark 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 as a 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 deepen his study of nebulae, which allow us to understand the past of the universe, he explained.