The Princess of Asturias Foundation

28 nominations from 15 different countries are in the running for this award, the third of eight international awards that are bestowed each year by the Princess of Asturias Foundation, and which are now in their XXXV edition.

©FPA

The meetings of the jury responsible for awarding the 2015 Princess of Asturias Award for Communication and Humanities, the third of eight international awards that will be bestowed by the Princess of Asturias Foundation, will be held on May 19th and 20th. The awards will be bestowed this year for the XXXV edition in their history.

HM King Felipe VI has been the Honorary President of the Foundation since it was established in 1980. Following his proclamation as King of Spain on 19th June 2014, HRH Leonor de Borbón y Ortiz, Princess of Asturias, is now the Honorary President of this institution which annually convenes the Princess of Asturias Awards. The Board of Trustees of the Foundation decided at an extraordinary meeting in Oviedo last October to rename the institution and its awards, which are now called the Princess of Asturias Foundation and Princess of Asturias Awards, respectively.

As stated in the Statutes of the Foundation, the Princess of Asturias Awards are aimed at rewarding “the scientific, technical, cultural, social and humanitarian work carried out at an international level by individuals, institutions or groups of individuals or institutions”. In keeping with these principles, the Princess of Asturias Award for Communication and Humanities shall be conferred on those “whose creative work or research represents an outstanding contribution to the benefit of humanity in the fields of History, Law, Linguistics, Teaching, Political Science, Psychology, Sociology, Ethics, Philosophy, Geography, Economics, Demography or Anthropology, including the disciplines corresponding to each of these fields”.

Twenty-eight candidatures, from Argentina, Canada, China, Colombia, Czech Republic, France, Georgia, Germany, Italy, Mexico, Portugal, Sweden, the United Kingdom, the United States and Spain, have been nominated for this award.

The Award comprises a Joan Miró sculpture representing and symbolising the accolade, a cash prize of €50,000, a diploma and an insignia.

Members of the juries will hold an initial meeting with the media at 12 noon (GMT+2:00) on Tuesday 19th in the “Salón de Consejos” of the hotel (on the first floor), immediately prior to being formally convened and starting their deliberations. The jury will then elect a president from amongst them. The jury secretary will be appointed by the Foundation.

Their decision will be made public at 12 noon (GMT+2:00) on Wednesday 20th in the Salón Covadonga of the hotel (on the ground floor), and jury members will then be available for interviews.

The reading of the jury’s decision will be broadcast live for more than 150 countries via the main national and international radio and television channels. The signal will be openly transmitted via Hispasat satellite (America and Europe). In addition, there will be a live Internet broadcast at the Foundation's website: www.fpa.es

Jury composition

The Jury, which is to meet at the Reconquista Hotel, will be made up of the following members: