Spain’s most glamorous cultural evening of the year doubled as a pep talk for troubled times. At the 46th Princess of Asturias Awards, held Friday night at the Campoamor Theatre in Oviedo, a lineup of laureates that included rock poet Patti Smith, football great Leo Messi, animation house Studio Ghibli and astronaut Christina Koch were honored in a ceremony that kept returning to one theme: hope.

Here are the highlights, based on reporting from Euronews and the official Princess of Asturias Foundation.

The 2026 laureates

The awards, often described as Spain’s answer to the Nobel Prizes, recognize achievement across eight categories. This year’s winners, according to the foundation, were:

  • Arts: American singer and writer Patti Smith
  • Communication and Humanities: Japan’s Studio Ghibli
  • Technical and Scientific Research: chemists David Klenerman and Shankar Balasubramanian and biophysicist Pascal Mayer, for DNA sequencing technologies
  • International Cooperation: the Svalbard Global Seed Vault in Norway
  • Social Sciences: British historian Timothy Garton Ash
  • Sports: Argentine footballer Leo Messi
  • Literature: British novelist Julian Barnes
  • Concord: American astronaut Christina Koch

Patti Smith steals the show

By Euronews’ account, the loudest cheers of the night belonged to Patti Smith, whose presence had already drawn warm crowds on the streets of Oviedo in the days before the ceremony. She performed her song “Wing,” which Euronews described as a tribute to the Spain that honored her, and its lines about freedom set the tone for the speeches that followed.

The foundation praised Smith for “impetuous creativity which links rock, symbolist poetry and the spirit of the counterculture.”

Messi and the sports award

Messi received the Award for Sports for a career the foundation said is “characterized by excellence and commitment.” The jury also highlighted his involvement in solidarity initiatives aimed at improving access to education and health for disadvantaged communities. In her speech, Princess Leonor praised his one-of-a-kind career.

Christina Koch and a call for unity

Christina Koch, recognized with the Award for Concord for her work within the Artemis II mission, delivered a speech that Euronews said was designed to connect instantly with the audience, including the line: “The first time I came to Spain, I wept openly in the middle of the street.” She framed her award as a call for unity in “a species capable of coming together.”

The foundation linked her selection to the message “Planet Earth, you are a crew,” an invitation to strengthen international cooperation.

Politics, AI and the power of art

Several speeches carried a sharper edge. Timothy Garton Ash drew spontaneous applause when he twice referred to Britain as an inseparable part of Europe, and he explicitly mentioned the International Criminal Court in a defense of academic, journalistic and legal freedoms.

Artificial intelligence was also on the mind of the royal family. Princess Leonor told Julian Barnes that “no AI will ever be able to replicate the emotion stirred by your work.” King Felipe VI went further, saying the laureates’ achievements show “that only through effort and perseverance can talent turn its potential into tangible, lasting realities.” The King also referenced Spain’s upcoming general election, reminding the audience that democracy “requires daily commitment.”

“The wind rises”

The evening’s closing note came from Princess Leonor, who ended a speech about combating contemporary disillusionment by quoting a line made famous by a Studio Ghibli film, itself borrowed from French poet Paul Valéry: “The wind rises, we must try to live!” Studio Ghibli was represented at the ceremony by its president, Kenichi Yoda.

Why it matters

The Princess of Asturias Awards are part celebration, part statement of values, and this year’s edition leaned hard into optimism. With a rock legend, a football icon, a beloved animation studio and an astronaut sharing one stage, the ceremony offered a rare crossover moment for culture, sport and science, and a reminder that a little hope can still fill a theater.

Image: Oviedo – Teatro Campoamor 1 by Zarateman via Wikimedia Commons, CC0 1.0