Timothy Garton Ash 2026 Princess of Asturias Award for Social Sciences

At its meeting in Oviedo, the Jury for the 2026 Princess of Asturias Award for Social Sciences, made up of Marta Elvira Rojo, Jorge Freire Gutiérrez, Teresa Freixes Sanjuán, Javier Garciadiego Dantán, Pablo Hernández de Cos, Silvia Iranzo Gutiérrez, Ricardo Martí Fluxá, Manuel Menéndez Menéndez, Robin Niblett, Leandro Prados de la Escosura, María Dolores Puga González, Valerio Rocco Lozano, Fernando Vallespín Oña and Astrid Wagner, chaired by Emilio Lamo de Espinosa Michels de Champourcin and with Jaime Pérez Renovales acting as secretary, has decided to grant the 2026 Princess of Asturias Award for Social Sciences to British historian, journalist and essayist Timothy Garton Ash.

His blend of erudition and personal testimony of crucial moments in recent European history makes him both an exceptional and inspiring thinker. His publications and discourse in the public sphere combine rigour with a passionate and lucid defence of democratic values whilst warning against the dangers that threaten liberal democracy, such as authoritarianism and populism. 

Professor Garton Ash’s commitment to freedom and his defence of the unity and strength of the European project make him an essential writer of our time. His emancipatory thinking offers inexorable keys to interpreting the present as well as arguments to face the future with hope.

Oviedo, 26th May 2026