Patti Smith 2026 Princess of Asturias Award for the Arts

At its meeting in Oviedo, the Jury for the 2026 Princess of Asturias Award for the Arts, composed of Daniel Bianco, Josep Maria Flotats i Picas, Jesús García Calero, Pablo Gil Cuevas, Blanca Gutiérrez Ortiz Blanca Li, Sergio Gutiérrez Sánchez, Pilar Lladó Arburúa, Sheila Loewe Boente, Isabel Muñoz Villalonga, Alfonso Palacio Álvarez, Christina Rosenvinge Hepworth, Teresa Sapey, Cibrán Sierra Vázquez, Eduardo Torres-Dulce Lifante and Juan Antonio Vigar Gutiérrez, chaired by María Pagés Madrigal and with Estrella de Diego Otero acting as secretary, has agreed to grant the 2026 Princess of Asturias Award for the Arts to American singer and writer Patti Smith for her impetuous creativity, which links rock, symbolist poetry and the spirit of the counterculture with great expressive power. 
A performer with a spirited style, she has captured the rebelliousness of the individual in society in vibrant songs, some of which have become icons of popular music of our time.
As a writer, she has conveyed a poetic vision of life, committed to offering a message of hope in the face of injustice. With a nonconformist, transgressive attitude, an example for numerous artists, she has moved listeners and readers worldwide and continues to inspire new generations.

Oviedo, 29th April 2026