Joan Veny and the defense of Catalan mark the 13th edition of the ARA Balears awards

PalmaL’Aljub d'Es Baluard brought together more than 300 people this Monday to celebrate the thirteenth edition of the ARA Balears awards, an event that, year after year, recognizes initiatives, entities, and trajectories that contribute to a more cohesive society, committed to culture, and rooted in the territory. Institutional, political, economic, social, and cultural representatives attended the event, as well as friends and collaborators of the newspaper, led by the Vice President of the Government, Antoni Costa, and the President of ARA, Ferran Rodés.

Among those present were the Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sports, Jaume Bauçà; the Spanish Government's delegate in the Balearic Islands, Alfonso Rodríguez; the mayor of Palma, Jaime Martínez; the president of the Consell de Mallorca, Llorenç Galmés; the second vice-president of the Parliament, Mercedes Garrido; parliamentary spokespersons Lluís Apesteguia (MÉS per Mallorca), Iago Negueruela (PSIB), and Sebastià Sagreras (PP); and the Secretaries of State for Security and Tourism, Aina Calvo and Rosario Sánchez, among others.

The gala began with a tone of review and vindication of the role of journalism in a context marked by technological changes and the challenges of disinformation. The general director of ARA Balears, Biel Ferragut, defended the need for rigorous, independent journalism in Catalan, and described the project as "a small miracle" after thirteen years of trajectory. Ferragut highlighted the growth in audience, subscribers, and advertising investment as elements that consolidate the medium in an increasingly demanding environment.

In the same vein, the director of ARA Balears, Jaume Perelló, took advantage of the gala to vindicate the 13 years of trajectory of a project that was born at a particularly difficult time for the media. Perelló recalled that the initial intention was to build an independent medium with added value in a context of accelerated digital transformation, and defended the importance of journalism that goes beyond immediate news. "We don't cover all the news. Not by a long shot. But what we do cover, we try to make it always serve to explain what is really happening," he stated. In this regard, he vindicated the newspaper's commitment to anticipating debates such as tourism saturation and the housing crisis, and assured that the objective remains "to meet the coming world." He also highlighted the sustained growth of subscribers as the main guarantee of editorial independence —"this is the sustenance a medium needs today if it wants to be independent"—. Finally, he thanked the readers for their trust and the work of the newsroom, to whom he attributed the consolidation of the project.

The director of ARA, Esther Vera, has defended journalism committed to society and democratic values. She highlighted the need for rigorous, useful journalism capable of explaining the complexity of today's world. During her speech, she remarked that "there is no democracy without a free press. Democracy is not guaranteed, nor is the strength of language and culture." In this regard, she added that precisely for this reason "free, committed, rigorous, and Catalan information is so necessary. Honest information, at the service of the citizenry." "The reader is the engine of our work. We face reality head-on and explain it from Catalonia and the Balearic Islands, with a will to serve, critical spirit, and commitment to the country," she stated.

The winners

The most important moment of the gala was the recognition of projects and careers that exemplify commitment to the Balearic Islands from various fields. The special ARA Balears 2026 award went to the Mallorcan linguist and dialectologist Joan Veny, honored for a lifetime dedicated to the study and dissemination of the Catalan language and for the completion of the Linguistic Atlas of the Catalan Domain, an internationally recognized work.

Commitment to the language was also a highlight with the Guillem Frontera award, given to Correllengua Agermanat, a youth initiative that has traveled through Catalan-speaking territories to strengthen linguistic and cultural ties. The jury highlighted its ability to turn the defense of Catalan into a participatory and mobilizing experience.

In the educational field, the Bartomeu Picornell award has recognized CEIP Ses Rotes Velles, for its continuous work in promoting Catalan in an environment of great cultural diversity. The center's project focuses on language as a tool for integration and social cohesion, with the aim of guaranteeing equal opportunities for all students.

The Toni Catany award has distinguished the Mariantònia Oliver Company for more than three decades of trajectory in contemporary dance, with a commitment to collective creation and the democratization of the performing arts. The jury has valued its contribution to making dance a tool for expression and social inclusion.

In the social field, the Colonya Caixa Pollença Social Action award has gone to the Association for the Aid of the Patient's Companion in the Balearic Islands, ADAA, for its work in supporting patients and families in moments of vulnerability, offering logistical and emotional support, often outside the usual care circuits.

The Economic Initiative award has recognized Quesería Menorquina for its ability to recover and consolidate a historic company, with a direct impact on Menorca's productive fabric and its connection with the island's primary sector.

Challenges, according to the Government

The closing of the event was carried out by the Vice President of the Government, Antoni Costa, who attended on behalf of President Marga Prohens, who was on leave for health reasons. Costa advocated for informational plurality and the role of ARA Balears as a reference medium in Catalan. Costa defended the need to face challenges such as demographic pressure, housing, and mass tourism, and highlighted the measures promoted by his executive regarding growth containment and tourism regulation. Finally, he congratulated the awardees and held them up as an example of commitment to education, culture, language, and social cohesion.

The thirteenth edition of the ARA Balears awards has once again highlighted a collective photograph of the country, with initiatives that from culture, education, language, social action, and the economy contribute to projecting Islands built on collective commitment and the will for a shared future.