Asturias arrive every year hundreds of candidatures from the five continents. The growing prestige of these awards is perhaps due to the open and democratic procedure by which candidates are admitted and valued, as well as to the unquestioningly solidary, humanizing and integrating spirit of the awards themselves. The candidates for each of the eight Princess of Asturias Awards are presented by Academies, Cultural or Research Centers, Universities and other institutions around the world. The Foundation also distributes the Call and Bases of the prizes to the five continents, further enriching the process and ensuring that the merits of the winners are not settled after a passive reception of candidacies.
The Princess of Asturias Awards were born in 1981 and they are delivered annually in Oviedo. The winners can be individuals, institutions or working groups from around the world, who have excelled in their career in one of the following eight categories: Arts, Sports, Social Sciences, Communication and Humanities, Concordia, International Cooperation, Scientific and Technical Research or Letters.
The deliberations of the different juries (one for each prize) begin in the month of May and continue until the month of September. The prizes are delivered in the Campoamor Theater at the end of October, in a ceremony presided over by King Felipe VI in which he pronounced his expected speech. Although nuanced every year by different national and international events, the words of the Prince always extol 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".
They are broken down below all the people and institutions awarded from 1981.
Princess of Asturias Award for Letters
2021 Emmanuel Carrere; 2018 Fred Vargas; 2017 Adam Zagajewski; 2016 Richard Ford; 2015 Leonardo Padura; 2014 John Banville; 2013 Antonio Muñoz Molina; 2012 Philip Roth; 2011 Leonard Cohen; 2010 Amin Maalouf; 2009 Ismaíl Kaderé; 2008 Margaret Atwood; 2007 Amos Oz; 2006 Paul Auster; 2005 Nélida Piñón; 2004 Claudio Magris; 2003 Fátima Mernissi and Susan Sontag; 2002 Arthur Miller; 2001 Doris Lessing; 2000 Augusto Monterroso; 1999 Günter Grass; 1998 Francisco Ayala; 1997 Álvaro Mutis; 1996 Francisco Umbral; 1995 Carlos Bousoño; 1994 Carlos Fuentes; 1993 Claudio Rodríguez; 1992 Francisco Morales Nieva; 1991 People of Puerto Rico, for declaring Spanish the only official language; 1990 Arturo Úslar 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 Ángel 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
2021 Gloria Steinem; 2018 Alma Guillermoprieto; 2017 Les Luthiers; 2016 James Nachtwey; 2015 Emilio Lledó Íñigo; 2014 Joaquin Salvador Lavado Badger, 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: Cervantes Institute, French Alliance, Dante Alighieri Society, British Council, Camoes Institute and Goethe Institute; 2004 Jean Daniel; 2003 Ryszard Kapuściński and Gustavo Gutiérrez Merino; 2002 Hans Magnus Enzensberger; 2001George 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 Garcia Gomez; 1991 Luis Maria Anson; 1990 José Simeón Cañas Central American University; 1989 Pedro Laín Entralgo and Fund for Economic Culture of Mexico; 1988 Horacio Saenz Guerrero; 1987 Newspaper El Tiempo and Newspaper El Espectador; 1986 O Globo Communication Group; 1985 José Ferrater Mora; 1984 Claudio Sánchez Albornoz; 1983 El País newspaper; 1982 Mario Augusto Bunge; 1981 Maria Zambrano Alarcon.
Princess of Asturias Award for Social Sciences
2021 Amartya Sen; 2018 Michael J. Sandel; 2017 Karen Armstrong; 2016 Mary Beard; 2015 Esther Dulfo; 2014 Joseph Pérez; 2013 Saskia Sassen; 2012 Martha C. Nussbaum; 2011 Howard Gardner; 2010 Archaeological Team of the Warriors of Xi'an; 2009 David Attenborough; 2008 Tzvetan Todorov; 2007 Ralf 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 Menéndez; 1993 Silvio Zavala; 1992 Juan Velarde Fuertes; 1991 Miguel Artola Gallego; 1990 Rodrigo Uría González; 1989 Enrique Fuentes Quintana; 1988 Luis Díez del Corral and Luis Sánchez 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 Román Perpiñá Grau.
Princess of Asturias Award for International Cooperation
2021 CAMFED; 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 Center, Centro de Investigação em Saúde de Manhiça; 2007 Al Gore; 2006 Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation; 2005 Simone Veil; 2004 Erasmus Program of the European Union; 2003 Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva; 2002 Scientific Committee for Research in Antarctica; 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 Unit; 1996 Helmut Kohl; 1995 Mário Soares; 1994 Isaac 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 Óscar Arias; 1987 Javier Pérez de Cuéllar; 1986: Universities of Salamanca and Coimbra; 1985 Raúl Alfonsín Foulkes; 1984 Contadora Group; 1983 Belisario Betancur; 1982 Enrique V. Iglesias; 1981 José López Portillo.
Princess of Asturias Award for the Arts
2021 Marina Abramović; 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 Gassmann; 1996 Joaquín Rodrigo Vidre; 1995 Fernando Fernán Gómez; 1994 Alicia de Larrocha; 1993 Francisco Javier Saénz de Oiza; 1992 Roberto Matta Echaurren; 1991 Victoria de los Ángeles, Teresa Berganza, Montserrat Caballé, José Carreras, Pilar Lorengar, Alfredo Kraus and Plácido Domingo; 1990 Antonio Tàpies; 1989 Oscar Niemeyer; 1988 Jorge Oteiza; 1987 Eduardo Chillida; 1986 Luis García Berlanga; 1985 Antonio López García; 1984 Orfeón Donostiarra; 1983 Eusebio Sempere; 1982 Pablo Serrano Aguilar; 1981 Jesús López Cobos.
Princess of Asturias Award for Scientific and Technical Research
2021 Katalin Karikó, Drew Weissman, Philip Felgner, Uğur Şahin, Özlem Türeci, Derrick Rossi and Sarah Gilbert; 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 Institute of Biodiversity of Costa Rica; 1994 Manuel Elkin Patarroyo; 1993 Amable 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 González González; 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
2021 Teresa Perales; 2018 Reinhold Messner and Krzysztof Wielicki; 2017 All Blacks; 2016 Javier Gómez Noya; 2015 Pau and Marc Gasol; 2014 New York 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 Soccer Team; 2001 Manuel Estiarte; 2000 Lance Armstrong; 1999 Steffi Graf; 1998 Arantxa Sánchez Vicario; 1997 Spanish Marathon Team; 1996 Carl Lewis; 1995 Hassiba Boulmerka; 1994 Martina Navratilova; 1993 Javier Sotomayor; 1992 Miguel Induráin; 1991 Sergei Bubka; 1990 Sito Pons; 1989 Severiano Ballesteros; 1988 Juan Antonio Samaranch; 1987 Sebastian Coe; 1986; 1985 José Manuel Abascal.
Princess of Asturias Award for Concord
2021 José Andrés and World Central Kitchen; 2018 Sylvia A. Earle; 2017 European Union; 2016 SOS Children's Villages; 2015 Hospital Order of San Juan de Dios; 2014 Caddy Adzuba; 2013 National Organization of the Spanish 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 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 Cáritas Española; 1998 Nicolás Castellanos, Vicente Ferrer, Joaquín Sanz Gadea and Muhammad Yunus; 1997 Yehudi Menuhin and Mstislav Rostropovich; 1996 Adolfo Suárez; 1995 Hussein from Jordan; 1994 National Movement of Meninos and Meninas de Rua, Messengers of Peace and Save the Children; 1993 Coordinator of the Gesture for Peace of Euskal Herria; 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 Wide Fund for Nature; 1987 Villa El Salvador; 1986 Vicariate of Solidarity.
