Princess of Asturias Awards 2026 honour Leo Messi, Patti Smith and Christina Koch in Oviedo

The Princess of Asturias Awards 2026 were handed out on Friday, 23 October, at the Teatro Campoamor in Oviedo. The ceremony began at 18.25 and ended shortly before 20.00. It was presided over by Princess Leonor, King Felipe VI, Queen Letizia and Infanta Sofía. The awards cover eight categories: Arts, Letters, Social Sciences, Communication and Humanities, Scientific and Technical Research, International Cooperation, Concord and Sports.

Leo Messi received the Sports award, and the jury cited his titles and his charity work for children's education and health. Messi is 39 years old and is described in the coverage as an eight-time Ballon d'Or winner. Patti Smith received the Arts award, Julian Barnes the Letters award and Christina Koch the Concord award. Studio Ghibli received the Communication and Humanities award, the Svalbard Global Seed Vault the International Cooperation award, and Timothy Garton Ash the Social Sciences award. David Klenerman, Shankar Balasubramanian and Pascal Mayer shared the Scientific and Technical Research award.

In her speech, Princess Leonor acknowledged that young people feel disenchantment and a lack of expectations about planning their future, including finding work or housing, in times she described as uncertain and chaotic. The Princess of Asturias also convened the 2027 awards during the ceremony.