Premios Internacionales Rey de España de Periodismo 2026

This year, the awards are supported by Veolia, Iryo, and RIU Resorts & Hotels as sponsors, and Casa de América and WAN-IFRA as collaborators. The gala, to be held at Casa de América in Madrid, will feature a performance by the artist María José Llergo and will bring together authorities, representatives from high-level state institutions, the business, social, and cultural sectors, as well as internationally renowned journalists and authors from the award-winning media outlets. The award consists of a cash prize of €10,000 per category and a bronze sculpture by the artist Joaquín Vaquero Turcios, presented by His Majesty the King of Spain. The sculpture represents the flag of the Ibero-American Community of Nations, symbolizing the cultural union of the Iberian peoples with the Americas. The artist, who passed away in 2010, drew inspiration from the wind as an ally, sails as instruments, and the flag as a symbol of reaching the Americas. The Award Winners: NARRATIVE PRIZE "Asystole: Death from Within" A podcast from Cadena SER (Spain), by Aimar Bretos and Víctor Olazábal, which addresses death frankly and without euphemisms, with narration and sound design that successfully convey the emotion of something so human and delicate. INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION AND HUMANITARIAN ACTION PRIZE "Rio Grande, the River of a Thousand Migrant Deaths" A transnational investigation by El Universal (Mexico), in collaboration with Lighthouse Reports and the Washington Post, which documents the alarming increase in drowning deaths of migrants attempting to cross the Rio Grande. ENVIRONMENTAL AWARD "Land of Arsonists" This podcast from the digital magazine Divergente (Portugal) travels the country from north to south to explore the causes of arson in the context of rural exodus, abandoned fields, and climate change, taking a unique approach by interviewing the arsonists themselves. CULTURAL AWARD "Counterculture" The cultural project from the digital media outlet Contracorriente (Honduras) uses artistic expressions by authors from Honduras, Guatemala, El Salvador, and Nicaragua to tell the story of resistance in Central America, publishing it in a print magazine. PHOTOGRAPHY AWARD "L' Horta Sud" A photograph by Óscar Corral, published in El País (Spain), highlights the work of public services, represented by a group of firefighters, after the devastating storm that struck Valencia in October 2024, causing 230 deaths. AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING MEDIA OUTLET IN IBERO-AMERICA Aos Fatos A Brazilian journalistic organization with a pioneering track record in Latin America for investigating, confronting, and documenting how digital platforms shape communication and operate as vectors of disinformation. With ten years of history, its model integrates journalism, data, AI, and civic technology. EFE AWARD EFE News Agency Delegation in Jerusalem (Israel) This award recognizes the "exemplary" work of the Agency's delegation in Jerusalem during the war in the Gaza Strip, which began on October 7, 2023, following a massive Hamas attack against Israel, for practicing journalism "under extremely difficult conditions" and for "holding the line for many months." About the King of Spain International Journalism Awards: With a history spanning more than 40 years, these awards recognize the best journalism in Spanish and Portuguese in the Ibero-American region. They recognize work that strengthens mutual understanding between countries, promotes the defense of human rights, sustainability, and culture, and fosters civic participation and democratic values. Previous recipients include the Peruvian-Spanish Nobel Laureate in Literature, Mario Vargas Llosa; the international photographer Sebastião Salgado, winner of the Prince of Asturias Award for the Arts (1998); the Spanish writers Arturo Pérez-Reverte and Juan José Millás; the Uruguayan writer Carmen Posadas; and the Colombian writer Daniel Samper.