The tenth edition of the "Taking the Floor" cultural programme for schools is now convened

As part of its 2025 Awards Week, the Princess of Asturias Foundation has convened the tenth edition of the “Taking the Floor” cultural programme for schools aimed at primary, secondary, baccalaureate and vocational training pupils. In addition to including schools in the Principality of Asturias, this year’s programme has been extended to invited schools nationwide. The working proposal for this year’s programme consists of seven activities aimed at different ages and is inspired by the work of the Laureates in the following categories: Literature, Concord, the Arts, Technical and Scientific Research, Sports and Communication and Humanities.

The goal of this initiative is to bring the work and careers of the recipients of Princess of Asturias Awards into the classrooms. Since its launch in 2015, this programme has boasted 55 747 participations by pupils from 259 schools in the region. 

In 2017, Her Majesty Queen Leticia held meetings at the El Quirinal state primary school (Avilés) and the Jerónimo González state secondary school (Sama de Langreo) with a delegation of teachers and pupils from the 74 schools that participated in the programme in 2016. The “Taking the Floor” programme was suspended in 2020 due to the public health situation resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2024, the Foundation convened an extraordinary edition to mark the tenth anniversary of Her Royal Highness The Princess of Asturias as the institution’s Honorary President and of the launching of this project. Extended on said occasion to invited school nationwide, it included proposals linked to the work of Mary Beard (2016 Princess of Asturias Laureate for Social Sciences) and the research of Sandra Myrna Díaz (2019 Princess of Asturias Laureate for Technical and Scientific Research), both of whom returned to Asturias in 2025 to participate in the programme’s closing events. This extraordinary edition registered 920 participations by pupils from 49 schools from the Principality of Asturias and other regions of Spain.

 

Taking the Floor 2025

“My Way to School”

Dedicated to Princess of Asturias Laureate for Literature Eduardo Mendoza, this proposal invites pupils to create an imaginary character based on someone they meet on their daily commute to school, like the lead character in his story El camino del cole [The Way to School]. They should then capture this character in a drawing and give him or her a name, mission and powers. They will also have to provide the real-life occupation, job or description of the person they were inspired by.

• Aimed at 1st- to 4th-year primary school pupils.
• Deadline for receipt of applications and projects: 25th September 2025 (inclusive).

“If I Were Gurb...”

Taking No Word from Gurb as a reference, pupils are asked to observe the world from the perspective of a being from another planet. As in Eduardo Mendoza’s book, they should put themselves in the shoes of an alien who lands in their town and write a short text describing human beings and including some of the expressions or vocabulary used in the novel.

• Aimed at 5th- and 6th-year primary school, secondary school and baccalaureate pupils.
• Deadline for receipt of applications and projects: 3rd October 2025 (inclusive).

“Each Piece, a Story”

In this initiative focussing on Mexico’s National Museum of Anthropology, Princess of Asturias Award for Concord, participants are invited to take a virtual tour of its halls and gardens and discover the archaeological and ethnographic artefacts that reflect the lives of indigenous peoples. Students will begin by gathering information on twelve emblematic pieces from the Museum. Next, they are to choose a theme (gods, rites, masks, rulers, monuments, etc.) and select several pieces to investigate. The aim of the activity is for the entire class to create a presentation, either physical or virtual, that includes all the pieces they have worked on, arranged in chronological order.

• Aimed at secondary school and baccalaureate students.
• Deadline for receipt of applications and projects: 3rd October 2025 (inclusive).

“Behind the Visible”

An activity dedicated to Graciela Iturbide, Princess of Asturias Laureate for the Arts, in which pupils are given a photographic exercise inspired by her most iconic series lacking a human presence. After analysing the composition of her images, students will be asked to take a photograph that reflects some of the characteristics of the Laureate’s work and technique. The images will be displayed in the classroom and the entire class will choose a maximum of fifteen to create an album.

• Aimed at secondary school, baccalaureate and vocational training students.
• Deadline for receipt of applications and projects: 1st October 2025 (inclusive).

“Genes that Heal”

The youngest pupils take centre stage in this activity focussing on the work of Mary-Claire King, Princess of Asturias Laureate for Technical and Scientific Research, in which they will be asked to express some of the Laureate’s pioneering contributions through drawings. The proposed topics focus on her major achievements, such as the application of genetics to the study and prevention of cancer, the similarity between the genes of humans and chimpanzees, as well as her commitment as a scientist to defending human rights. 

• Aimed at primary school pupils.
• Deadline for receipt of applications and projects: 23rd September 2025 (inclusive).

“Serena's Voice”

This proposal, dedicated to Princess of Asturias Laureate for Sports Serena Williams, aims to provide students with an insight into her professional career, personality and approach to life. Above and beyond her success as a tennis player, Serena Williams has stood out for her commitment to defending gender equality and equal opportunities in sports and society. Students should choose a moment from the Laureate’s life or a statement she has made that impressed, moved or surprised them and write a short text justifying their choice. They may also add a question they would like to ask her about the selected topic.

This activity can also be carried out in English or French.

• Aimed at secondary school, baccalaureate and vocational training students.
• Deadline for receipt of applications and projects: 2nd October 2025 (inclusive).

“Long Live Philosophy”

In this activity, teachers are invited to introduce their pupils to the philosophy of Princess of Asturias Laureate for Communication and Humanities Byung-Chul Han and to discuss some of his statements in class. To this end, we propose watching the documentary titled Society of Fatigue, inspired by his essay of the same name. Students should then select some of his reflections and write a text that provides a reasoned explanation of their position on Han’s theses, including examples of actions applicable to everyday life. 

• Aimed at 3rd- and 4th-year secondary school and baccalaureate pupils.
• Deadline for receipt of applications and projects: 6th October 2025 (inclusive).