The Princess of Asturias Foundation

26 nominations from 12 different countries are in the running for this award, the second of eight international awards that are bestowed each year by the Prince of Asturias Foundation, and which are now in their twenty-ninth year.

The meetings of the jury responsible for awarding the 2009 Prince of Asturias Award for International Cooperation, the second of eight international awards that will be bestowed by the Prince of Asturias Foundation, will be held on May 26th and 27th. The awards will be bestowed this year for the twenty-ninth time in their history.

The Prince of Asturias Awards aim, to quote from the Statutes of the Foundation "to reward the scientific, technical, cultural, social and humanistic work performed by individuals, groups of individuals or institutions at international level." As part of this spirit, the Prince of Asturias Award for International Cooperation "will be bestowed upon the person, institution, group of people, or group of institutions whose work has contributed to mutual understanding, progress and brotherhood among nations in an exemplary and significant way ".

There are 26 nominations in the running for this Award from Australia, Austria, Germany, India, Italy, Luxemburg, Mexico, Portugal, Republic of Ecuador, Sweden, United States and Spain.

The Award is endowed with fifty thousand Euro, a sculpture created and specially donated for the Awards by Joan Miró, a diploma and an insignia.

Members of the juries will hold an initial meeting with the media at about 10.30 a.m. on Tuesday 26^th in the "Salón Covadonga" of the hotel (on the ground 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 12.00 a.m. on Wednesday 27^th in the Salón Covadonga of the hotel, and jury members will then be available for interviews.

The reading of the jury´s decision will be broadcast live for more than 120 countries via the main national and international radio and television channels. The signal will be openly transmitted via the Hispasat and Intelsat satellites. In addition, there will be a live Internet broadcast at the Foundation's website: www.fpa.es

EUROPA