Princess of Asturias Awards on the map
Every year, Asturias receives hundreds of nominations from all five continents. The growing prestige of these awards is perhaps due to the open and democratic process by which nominations are accepted and evaluated, as well as the undeniably supportive, humanizing, and inclusive spirit of the awards themselves. Candidates for each of the eight Princess of Asturias Awards are nominated by academies, cultural or research centers, universities, and other institutions worldwide . The Foundation also distributes the Call for Nominations and the award guidelines to all five continents, further enriching the process and ensuring that the merits of the recipients are not determined by a passive reception of nominations.
The Princess of Asturias Awards were established in 1981 and are presented annually in Oviedo. Recipients can be individuals, institutions, or working groups from around the world who have distinguished themselves in one of the following eight categories: Arts, Sports, Social Sciences, Communication and Humanities, Concord, International Cooperation, Scientific and Technical Research, or Literature.
The deliberations of the various juries (one for each prize) begin in May and continue until September. The prizes are awarded at the Campoamor Theatre at the end of October, in a ceremony presided over by King Felipe VI, who delivers his highly anticipated speech. Although influenced each year by different national and international events, the Prince's words always highlight the most essential merits of the awards.
“…hope is the foundation of our Awards. They express our conviction that it is still worthwhile, in this world of such rapid changes, to dedicate all the effort, all the will to the beautiful task that no one feels alone when they give their talent, their intelligence and their vocation for the benefit of The humanity".
The following details all the people and institutions that have received awards since 1981.
Princess of Asturias Awards 2025
The Awards agenda… Read more
Princess of Asturias Award for Letters
2026 julian barnes
2025 Eduardo Mendoza
2024 Ana Blandiana
2023 Haruki Murakami
2022 Juan Mayorga
2021 Emmanuel Carrere
2020 Anne carson
2019 Siri Hustvedt
2018 Fred Vargas
2017 Adam zagajewski
2016 Richard Ford
2015 Leonard Padura
2014 John Banville
2013 Antonio Munoz Molina
2012 Philip Roth
2011 Leonard Cohen
2010 Amin maalouf
2009 Ismail Kadere
2008 Margaret Atwood
2007 Amos Oz
2006 Paul auster
2005 Nelida Pinon
2004 Claudio Magris
2003 Fatima Mernissi and Susan Sontag
2002 Arthur Miller
2001 Doris lessing
2000 Augusto Monterroso
1999 Günter Grass
1998 Francis Ayala
1997 Alvaro Mutis
1996 Francis Threshold
1995 Carlos Bousoño
1994 Carlos Fuentes
1993 Claudio Rodriguez
1992 Francisco Morales Nieva
1991 People of Puerto Rico, for declaring Spanish the only official language
1990 Arturo Uslar Pietri
1989 Ricardo Gullón
1988 Carmen Martín Gaite and José Ángel Valente
1987 Camilo José Cela
1986 Mario Vargas Llosa and Rafael Lapesa Melgar
1985 Angel González
1984 Pablo García Baena
1983 Juan Rulfo
1982 Gonzalo Torrente Ballester and Miguel Delibes Setién
1981 José Hierro Real
Princess of Asturias Award for Communication and Humanities
2026 Studio Ghibli
2025 Byung-Chul Han
2024 Marjane Satrapi
2023 Nuccio Order
2022 adam micnik
2021 Gloria Steinem
2020 Guadalajara International Book Fair and Hay Festival of Literature & Arts
2019 Prado Museum
2018 Alma Guillermoprieto
2017 Les Luthiers
2016 James Nachtwey
2015 Emilio Lledó Inigo
2014 Joaquín Salvador Lavado Tejón, Quino
2013 Annie Leibovitz
2012 Shigeru Miyamoto
2011 The Royal Society
2010 Zygmunt Bauman and Alain Touraine
2009 National Autonomous University of Mexico
2008 Google
2007 Science and Nature
2006 National Geographic Society
2005 European cultural institutes: Instituto Cervantes, Alliance Française, Dante Alighieri Society, British Council, Camoes Institute and Goethe Institute
2004 Jean Daniel
2003 Ryszard Kapuściński and Gustavo Gutiérrez Merino
2002 Hans Magnus Enzensberger
2001 George steiner
2000 Umberto Eco
1999 Caro y Cuervo Institute
1998 Reinhard Mohn
1997 Václav Havel and Cable News Network (CNN)
1996 Indro Montanelli and Julián Marías
1995 EFE Agency and José Luis López Aranguren
1994 Spanish Missions in Rwanda and Burundi
1993 Vuelta Magazine, by Octavio Paz
1992 Emilio García Gómez
1991 Luis Maria Anson
1990 Central American University José Simeón Cañas
1989 Pedro Laín Entralgo and the Economic Culture Fund of Mexico
1988 Horacio Saénz Guerrero
1987 El Tiempo newspaper and El Espectador newspaper
1986 O Globo Communication Group
1985 José Ferrater Mora
1984 Claudio Sánchez Albornoz
1983 El País
1982 Mario Augusto Bunge
1981 María Zambrano Alarcón
Princess of Asturias Award for Social Sciences
2026 Timothy garton ash
2025 Douglas Massey
2024 Michael ignatieff
2023 Hélène Carrère d'Encausse
2022 Eduardo Matos Moctezuma
2021 Amartya Sen
2020 Dani Rodrik
2019 Alejandro Portes
2018 Michael J. Sandel
2017 Karen Armstrong
2016 Mary beard
2015 Esther Dulfo
2014 Joseph Perez
2013 Saskia Sassen
2012 Martha C Nussbaum
2011 Howard Gardner
2010 Xi'an Warriors Archaeological Team
2009 David Attenborough
2008 Tzvetan Todorov
2007 Ralph Dahrendorf
2006 mary robinson
2005 Giovanni Sartori
2004 Paul Krugman
2003 Jürgen Habermas
2002 anthony giddens
2001 The College of Mexico and Juan Iglesias Santos
2000 Carlo Maria Martini
1999 Raymond Carr
1998 Jacques Santer and Pierre Werner
1997 Martín de Riquer Morera
1996 John Elliott
1995 Joaquim Veríssimo Serrão and Miquel Batllori i Munné
1994 Aurelio Menendez
1993 Silvio Zavala
1992 Juan Velarde Fuertes
1991 Miguel Artola Gallego
1990 Rodrigo Uría González
1989 Enrique Fuentes Quintana
1988 Luis Diez del Corral and Luis Sanchez Agesta
1987 Juan José Linz
1986 José Luis Pinillos
1985 Ramón Carande Thovar
1984 Eduardo García de Enterría
1983 Julio Caro Baroja
1982 Antonio Domíguez Ortiz
1981 Roman Perpiñá Grau
Princess of Asturias Award for International Cooperation
2026 Svalbard Global Seed Vault
2025 Mario Draghi
2024 Organization of Ibero-American States for Education, Science and Culture (OEI)
2023 Drugs for Neglected Diseases Initiative
2022 Ellen Macarthur
2021 CAMFED
2020 Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance
2019 Salman Khan and Khan Academy
2018 Amref Health Africa
2017 Hispanic Society of America
2016 United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Paris Agreement
2015 Wikipedia
2014 Fulbright Scholarship Program
2013 Max Planck Society for the Advancement of Science
2012 International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement
2011 Bill Drayton
2010 The Transplantation Society and National Transplant Organization
2009 World Health Organization
2008 Ifakara Health Institute, The Malaria Research and Training Center, Kintampo Health Research Centre, Centro de Investigação em Saúde de Manhiça
2007 Al Gore
2006 Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
2005 Simone Veil
2004 European Union Erasmus Program
2003 Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva
2002 Scientific Committee for Antarctic Research
2001 International Space Station
2000 Fernando Henrique Cardoso
1999 Pedro Duque, John Glenn, Chiaki Mukai, Valery Polyakov
1998 Fatiha Boudiaf, Rigoberta Menchú, Fatana Ishaq Gailani, Somaly Mam, Emma Bonino, Olayinka Koso-Thomas, Graça Machel
1997 The Government of Guatemala and the Guatemalan National Revolutionary Unity
1996 Helmut Kohl
1995 Mario Soares
1994 Yitzhak Rabin, Yasser Arafat
1993 UN Blue Helmets stationed in the former Yugoslavia
1992 Frederick W. De Klerk, Nelson Mandela
1991 United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)
1990 Hans Dietrich Genscher
1989 Jacques Delors, Mikhail Gorbachev
1988 Oscar Arias
1987 Javier Perez de Cuellar
1986 Universities of Salamanca and Coimbra
1985 Raúl Alfonsín Foulkes
1984 Accounting Group
1983 Belisario Betancur
1982 Enrique V. Iglesias
1981 Jose Lopez Portillo
Princess of Asturias Award for the Arts
2026 Patti Smith
2025 Grace Iturbide
2024 Joan Manuel Serrat
2023 Meryl Streep
2022 Carmen Linares and María Pagés
2021 Marina Abramovic
2020 Ennio Morricone and John Williams
2019 Peter Brook
2018 Martin Scorsese
2017 William Kentridge
2016 Núria Espert
2015 Francis Ford Coppola
2014 Frank O. Gehry
2013 Michael Haneke
2012 Rafael Moneo
2011 Ricardo Muti
2010 Richard Serra
2009 Norman Foster
2008 National System of Youth and Children's Orchestras of Venezuela
2007 Bob Dylan
2006 Pedro Almodóvar
2005 Maia Plisetskaya and Tamara Rojo
2004 Paco de Lucía
2003 Miquel Barceló
2002 Woody Allen
2001 Krzysztof Penderecki
2000 Barbara hendricks
1999 Santiago Calatrava Valls
1998 Sebastião Salgado
1997 Vittorio Gassman
1996 Joaquín Rodrigo Vidre
1995 Fernando Fernan Gomez
1994 Alicia de Larrocha
1993 Francisco Javier Saénz de Oiza
1992 Roberto Matta Echaurren
1991 Victoria de los Angeles, Teresa Berganza, Montserrat Caballé, José Carreras, Pilar Lorengar, Alfredo Kraus and Plácido Domingo
1990 Antonio Tàpies
1989 Óscar Niemeyer
1988 Jorge Oteiza
1987 Eduardo Chillida
1986 Luis Garcia Berlanga
1985 Anthony Lopez Garcia
1984 Orfeón Donostiarra
1983 Eusebio Sempere
1982 Pablo Serrano Aguilar
1981 Jesus Lopez Cobos
Princess of Asturias Award for Scientific and Technical Research
2026 David Klenerman, Shankar Balasubramanian and Pascal Mayer
2025 Mary-Claire King
2024 Daniel J. Drucker, Jeffrey M. Friedman, Joel F. Habener, Jens Juul Holst and Svetlana Mojsov
2023 Jeffrey Gordon, E. Peter Greenberg, and Bonnie L. Bassler
2022 Geoffrey Hinton, Yann Lecun, Yoshua Bengio and Demis Hassabis
2021 Katalin Karikó, Drew Weissman, Philip Felgner, Uğur Şahin, Özlem Türeci, Derrick Rossi and Sarah Gilbert
2020 Yves Meyer, Ingrid Daubechies, Terence Tao and Emmanuel Candès
2019 Joanne Chory and Sandra Myrna Díaz
2018 Svahte Pääbo
2017 RainerWeiss, Kip S. Thorne, Barry C. Barish, and the LIGO Scientific Collaboration
2016 Hugh Herr
2015 Emmanuelle Charpentier and Jennifer Doudna
2014 Avelino Corma Canós, Mark E. Davis and Galen D. Stucky
2013 Peter Higgs, Francois Englert and CERN
2012 Gregory Winter and Richard A. Lerner
2011 Arturo Álvarez Buylla, Joseph Altman, Giacomo Rizzolatti
2010 David Julius, Baruch Minke and Linda Watkins
2009 Martin Cooper and Raymond Samuel Tomlinson
2008 Sumio Iijima, Shuji Nakamura, Robert Langer, George M. Whitesides, Tobin Marks
2007 Peter Lawrence and Ginés Morata
2006 Juan Ignacio Cirac
2005 Antonio Damasio
2004 Judah Folkman, Tony Hunter, Joan Massagué, Bert Vogelstein, Robert Weinberg
2003 Jane Goodall
2002 Lawrence Roberts, Robert Kahn, Vinton Cerf and Tim Berners-Lee, fathers of the Internet
2001 Craig Venter, Francis Collins, John Sulston, Hamilton Smith, Jean Weissenbach
2000 Luc Montagnier, Robert C. Gallo
1999 Ricardo Miledi, Enrique Moreno González
1998 Emilio Méndez Pérez, Pedro Miguel Etxenike Landiríbar
1997 Atapuerca Research Team
1996 Valentin Fuster Carulla
1995 Manuel Losada Villasante, National Biodiversity Institute of Costa Rica
1994 Manuel Elkin Patarroyo
1993 Kind Liñán
1992 Federico García Moliner
1991 Francisco Bolívar Zapata
1990 Santiago Grisolía, Salvador Moncada
1989 Guido Münch
1988 Manuel Cardona, Marcos Moshinsky
1987 Jacinto Convit, Pablo Rudomín Zevnovaty
1986 Antonio Gonzalez Gonzalez
1985 David Vázquez Martínez, Emilio Rosenblueth
1984 Antonio García Bellido
1983 Luis Antonio Santaló Sors
1982 Manuel Ballester Boix
1981 Alberto Sols García
Princess of Asturias Award for Sports
2026 Leo Messi
2025 Serena Williams
2024 Carolina Marín
2023 Eliud Kipchoge
2022 Refugee Olympic Team and Foundation
2021 Teresa Perales
2020 Carlos Sainz
2019 Lindsey Vonn
2018 Reinhold Messner and Krzysztof Wielicki
2017 All Blacks
2016 Javier Gómez Noya
2015 Pau and Marc Gasol
2014 New York City Marathon
2013 José María Olazabal
2012 Iker Casillas and Xavi Hernández
2011 Haile Gebrselassie
2010 Spanish Soccer Team
2009 Yelena isinbayeva
2008 Rafael Nadal
2007 Michael Schumacher
2006 Spanish Basketball Team 2006
2005 Fernando Alonso
2004 Hicham El Guerrouj
2003 The Tour de France
2002 Brazilian National Football Team
2001 Manuel Estiarte
2000 lance Armstrong
1999 Steffi Graf
1998 Arantxa Sanchez Vicario
1997 Spanish Marathon Team
1996 Carl Lewis
1995 Hassiba Boulmerka
1994 Martina Navratilova
1993 Javier Sotomayor
1992 Miguel Induráin
1991 Sergei Bubka
1990 Site Pons
1989 Severiano ballesteros
1988 Juan Antonio Samaranch
1987 Sebastian Coe
1986
1985 Jose Manuel Abascal
Princess of Asturias Award for Concord
2026 Christina Koch
2025 National Museum of Anthropology of Mexico
2024 Magnum Photos
2023 Mary's Meals
2022 Shigeru Ban
2021 José Andrés and World Central Kitchen
2020 Spanish healthcare workers on the front lines against COVID-19
2019 City of Gdansk
2018 Sylvia A. Earle
2017 European Union
2016 SOS Children's Villages
2015 Hospitaller Order of Saint John of God
2014 Caddy Adzuba
2013 Spanish National Organization for the Blind (ONCE)
2012 Spanish Federation of Food Banks
2011 Heroes of Fukushima
2010 United hands
2009 City of Berlin
2008 Ingrid Betancourt
2007 Yad Vashem. Jerusalem Holocaust Museum
2006 UNICEF
2005 Daughters of Charity of Saint Vincent de Paul
2004 the Camino de Santiago
2003 Joanne kathleen rowling
2002 Edward Said and Daniel Barenboim
2001 World Network of Biosphere Reserves
2000 Royal Spanish Academy and Association of Academies of the Spanish Language
1999 Caritas Spanish
1998 Nicolás Castellanos, Vicente Ferrer, Joaquín Sanz Gadea and Muhammad Yunus
1997 Yehudi Menuhin and Mstislav Rostropovich
1996 Adolfo Suárez
1995 Hussein of Jordan
1994 National Movement of Street Boys and Girls, Messengers of Peace and Save the Children
1993 Coordinator of the Gesture for Peace of the Basque Country
1992 American Foundation for AIDS Research
1991 Doctors Without Borders and Medicus Mundi
1990 Sephardic Communities
1989 Stephen Hawking
1988 International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources, and World Wildlife Fund
1987 Villa Salvador
1986 Vicariate of Solidarity
Text: © Ramón Molleda for asturias.com
