Cort presents the City of Palma 2025 awards, almost a month later

PalmThe City Hall's plenary hall hosted the official ceremony for the 2025 Ciutat de Palma Awards this Thursday, recognizing works in visual arts, narrative, poetry, comics, music, performing arts, audiovisuals, journalism, gastronomy, research, and architecture. The ceremony replaced the gala scheduled for January 20th at the Teatre Principal, which was cancelled following the Adamuz train accident. The event was presided over by the mayor, Jaime Martínez, and was also attended by institutional representatives, members of the cultural sector, award winners, and jury members. After the speeches and the presentation of awards, the group moved to the Casal Solleric to inaugurate the exhibition of the finalists for the Antoni Gelabert Prize and the exhibition. Chapter, by Andrea Canepa.

Antoni Gelabert Prize

Works submitted: 913. Participants: 435

Winner: Inma Femenía, Free Fall CII 2018

Jury: Aina Pomar, Sebastià Mascaró and José María Yturralde

The jury highlighted the meticulous contemporary use of imagery in a work presented as suspended, establishing a dialogue with gravity, time, and space. The piece prompts reflection on the relationship between the material and digital worlds, proposing a visual experience that engages the viewer through formal and conceptual subtlety.

Special mention for Almudena Lobera, for Rest, for the solidity of the research and the formalization of a project that delves into silence as a space of resistance and meaning in the contemporary context.

Llorenç Villalonga Prize for novels in Catalan

Works submitted: 88. Participants: 83

Winner: Jaume Oliver Ripoll, One day we will storm the city with iron horses

Jury: Sonia Hernández, Carles Cabrera and Sebastià Jovani

The jury praised the literary quality of the prose and its integration within an original narrative structure that articulates a precise yet playful historical and narrative journey. The work combines reflection on personal identity with the recovery and reinterpretation of a significant episode in contemporary collective memory.

Camilo José Cela Prize for novels in Spanish

Works submitted: 733. Participants: 680

The jury has declared the prize void, after an initial selection of 50 originals made by a preliminary independent jury.

Joan Alcover Prize for poetry in Catalan

Works submitted: 117. Participants: 106

Winner: Francesc Pastor Verdú, In Paradisum

Jury: Albert García Elena, Eduard Rafel Jordà and Macià Fiol

The jury emphasized that the poetry collection succeeds in creating powerful poetry from the reality of a nursing home. The lives evoked, on the verge of ending, are striking and deeply moving, forming a body of work with profound emotional intensity. The poem addresses the mystery of life and death with a style the jury considers poignant, beautiful, and essential.

Rubén Darío Prize for Poetry in Spanish

Works submitted: 893. Participants: 741

Winner: Jorge Fernández Gonzalo, Absolute clarity

Jury: Marcos Augusto Lladó, José Alejandro Simón Partal and Maria Isabel Andrés Llamero

The jury highlights that it is a very well-constructed collection of poems, with powerful and beautiful images that invite meditation and support a coherent proposal in its formal and thematic development.

Palma City Comic Award

Works submitted: 57. Participants: 48

Winners: Pau Santiago Roda and David Pàmies, Pending cases: Go Home

Jury: Irene Márquez, Jaume Vadell and Mateu Balaguer

The jury considers the narrative fluid, well-paced, and humorous, and that the artwork perfectly suits the story's tone. They also note that the work brings diversity to the Spanish comics scene and praise its comedy, action, and genre.

Bonet de Sant Pere Award

Works submitted: 8. Participants: 7

Winner: Mon Joan Tiquat, Synonyms for thing

Jury: Miquel Bennàssar, José Enrique Martínez Esteve and Antoni Lliteres

The jury highlights the creativity, originality, and eclecticism, as well as the theatrical thread that permeates the entire work. They also emphasize the vocal quality and the clarity of the lyrics on a cohesive studio album that maintains a personal approach far removed from the most conventional paths.

Margaluz Award

Works submitted: 20. Participants: 16

Winner: Daniel Cuesta Centelles, Chocolate

Jury: María de las Nieves Portas, Francesca Busquets and Juan Carlos Bestard

The jury praised the depth of the dramatic text, the acting challenge, and the meticulous direction. They also highlighted the work's ability to emphasize investigative journalism, revive the figure of an iconic Palma personality, and evoke a pivotal moment in the island's history and culture, linked to the tourism boom and social movements of the 1970s.

Maria Forteza Award (Documentary)

Works submitted: 18. Participants: 15

Winner: Jordi Nadal Rosselló, The Last Cowboy of Hollywood

Jury: Nuria Abad, Marta Hierro and Rafael Ignacio Cortés

The jury highlighted its ability to convey the protagonist's story in an innovative and daring way, with a well-structured script and editing that reinforces the narrative.

Maria Forteza Award (Short Film)

Works submitted: 15. Participants: 14

Winner: Javier Chacártegui Horrach, A normal person

The jury praised its acting quality, the strength of the script, and its polished visuals, as well as its ability to move the viewer.

Miquel dels Sants Oliver Award

Works submitted: 15. Participants: 10.

Winner: Victoria Morell Salom, NUDE (IB3 Radio)

Jury: Magdalena Albis, Alicia Mateos and Gabriel Nicolás Rodas.

The jury recognizes the rigor and depth with which the podcast addresses a global phenomenon with a direct impact on the social and emotional lives of new generations. It highlights its critical and public service perspective, as well as the combination of research, expert voices, and testimonials that offer a broad view of the impact of pornography.

Special mention for The disappearances, by Joan Cabot, for its sensitive and rigorous approach to suicide.

Caty Juan de Corral Award

Winner: José Cortés García

Jury: Maria Mas, Magdalena Mesquida and Isabel Moyà

The jury valued the use of local and regional products, the revival of traditional recipes, participation in gastronomic events, innovation, and the consistency between words and practices.

Montserrat Casas Award

Works submitted: 21. Participants: 17

Winner: Ignacio Martín Jiménez, Mallorca at the beginning of the 20th century: behaviors towards births, weddings and deaths. A structural analysis

Jury: Miquel Josep Deyà, Anna Maria Traveset and Julio Pérez Manzanares

The jury highlights the meticulous anthropological and sociological approach to traditional Mallorcan society and the possibility of drawing comparisons with other regions. It also emphasizes the combination of digital documentation, previous studies, and theoretical contributions, which provide the project with a solid foundation and contribute to revaluing Mallorca's symbolic heritage.

Guillem Sagrera Prize

Winning project: House of Mercy. Second phase of comprehensive rehabilitation

The governing board, at the suggestion of the Urban Planning department, has recognized the restoration of a building linked to Palma's history. The project combines tradition and craftsmanship, reclaims disused spaces such as the cistern, and highlights vaults and elements of traditional Mallorcan architecture within a new tour of the building.