Ciutat Vella establishes the Ciutat Vella Awards to recognize people, projects, or organizations rooted in or connected to the district

From March 25^th to April 23^rd, candidacies may be submitted to recognize significant actions of public interest and with a positive impact on the district

The Deputy Mayor and Councillor of the Ciutat Vella District, Albert Batlle, has invited participation this week with a letter addressed to the nearly 350 participants of the Pact for Ciutat Vella

According to the Commissioner of the Pact for Ciutat Vella, Ivan Pera, this initiative aims to "appreciate and highlight, within both the district and city spheres, the daily and ongoing work done by many organizations from Ciutat Vella and throughout Barcelona." The awards ceremony of the Ciutat Vella 2026 Prizes will be held on June 8^th at the Auditorium of the Liceu Conservatory.

This year, the Ciutat Vella District announces the Ciutat Vella Prizes, awards that recognize people, projects, and organizations with roots in or a close connection to the territory of Ciutat Vella, thus establishing these prizes, which have not been celebrated in Ciutat Vella in recent years, although they are held in most other districts.

This week, the Deputy Mayor and Councillor of the Ciutat Vella District, Albert Batlle, sent a letter to more than 350 people who participated in the presentation event of the strategic document of the Pact for Ciutat Vella, among organizations and representatives of the district's social and economic fabric, to inform and invite participation in this first edition of the new stage of the Ciutat Vella Prizes. In the letter, he highlights "one of the key pillars of the Pact: advocating for Ciutat Vella by supporting the good work carried out in our four neighborhoods and reclaiming what we have so often shared-the pride of belonging to Ciutat Vella."

The initiative to reinstate the Ciutat Vella Prizes is one of the proposals that emerged from the debates of the Pact for Ciutat Vella, in order to recognize and give visibility not only in the district but also citywide to the daily, ongoing work of many organizations in Ciutat Vella and the rest of Barcelona, explains Ivan Pera, Commissioner of the Pact for Ciutat Vella. "This extraordinary work must be prominently recognized," said Pera, who pointed out that "the prizes should also serve to strengthen projects and trajectories that are aligned with the vision and strategic challenges resulting from the collective work of the social and economic fabric that has participated in the Pact for Ciutat Vella, as a way to also move towards the agreed objectives." "We want to reward excellence and commitment, because those are two values that we want to go hand in hand in Ciutat Vella," Pera added.

From today, March 25^th, until April 23^rd (both dates included), candidacies may be submitted to recognize significant actions of public interest and with positive impact on daily life, coexistence, and the advancement of the district's social, cultural, and economic progress and that of its neighborhoods.

The Ciutat Vella Prizes 2026 awards ceremony will be held on June 8^th at the Auditorium of the Liceu Conservatory.

Awards to recognize the contribution to the life of Ciutat Vella

The Ciutat Vella Prizes will award a total of €10,000, with €1,000 for each of the 10 categories:

1. Project or organization that stands out for civic values, coexistence, civility, and dialogue.
2. Pedagogical project or personal trajectory in the field of pedagogy that has made a prominent contribution to the educational success of children and youth.
3. Scientific research project by an organization or research group from Ciutat Vella that has contributed to the progress of its scientific discipline.
4. Cultural or historical memory project or organization that stands out for the quality and strength of its work, contributing to cultural dynamism and/or the preservation of collective memory.
5. Social action or community action project that contributes to the transformation and social progress of its environment and/or the district's neighborhoods.
6. Entrepreneurial professional and/or business initiative that stands out for its quality and soundness in its approach and development.
7. Economic activity in commerce, restaurants, or tourism with identity, roots, and social impact, distinguished for the quality of its project and its ability to adapt to new times while maintaining the traditional spirit.
8. Innovative sustainability project that stands out for its contribution to resilience in the face of climate change.
9. Project or professional path that stands out for promoting the centrality of Ciutat Vella District as the heart and nucleus of the city of Barcelona.
10. Quality communication project or work that focuses on a reality or project of Ciutat Vella, with a constructive approach that values the work done.

There will also be an award for organizations with a long and consolidated history in the district that remain a point of reference in the neighborhood thanks to their ability to renew themselves and adapt to new realities. This recognition will be presented on the occasion of their 25^th, 50^th, or 75^th anniversary, and will be in the form of an award.

The evaluation of the candidacies will be carried out by a jury comprised of the District Councillor (jury president), or their delegate, who will have a weighted vote; the president of the District Council, or their delegate; the director of Services to People and Territory or their delegate; one representative from each municipal group with representation in the district; the vice-presidents of the Neighborhood Councils, one for each district neighborhood, who will cast their vote as an individual and not as a representative of any organization; one representative from each of the sectoral participatory councils, who will also vote as individuals and not as representatives of the council or any organization; and sector representatives. In this last category, among these representatives, there must necessarily be: one representative of the commercial sector, one from the environment and sustainability sector, and one from the social Third Sector.

Proposals can be submitted by general application in person at any of the Citizen Service Offices of Barcelona City Council, or electronically via the electronic Registry portal of Barcelona City Council. In any case, the text "Candidacy for the Ciutat Vella Prizes" must be stated.