The Queen presides over the 2025 XLSemanal Awards, awarded to Jaume Plensa, Amelia Valcárcel, Elena García Armada, and Juan Entrecanales.

Queen Letizia presided over the XLSemanal Awards, which recognize the careers of prominent national figures . This third edition was awarded to Jaume Plensa, Amelia Valcárcel, Elena García Armada, and Juan Entrecanales at a ceremony attended by leading figures from the worlds of culture, politics, business, and journalism.

Her Majesty Queen Letizia presided over the XLSemanal Awards on a very special evening. It was a celebration to "thank four personalities who—in a world made of fragments, algorithms, emergencies, and trenches—have built bridges toward a common space of harmony, commitment, freedom, and also beauty." This is how Mar Cohnen, director of XLSemanal, described the awards ceremony for Spain's most widely read current affairs magazine, which took place at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts of San Fernando in Madrid.

These awards, with which the leading Sunday press publication seeks to recognize the careers of important figures in our society and culture , went. In this third edition, the following were recognized: painter, sculptor, and draftsman Jaume Plensa in the Creation category; thinker and professor of Moral and Political Philosophy Amelia Valcárcel in the Thought category; industrial robotics engineer Elena García Armada in the Science and Innovation category; and businessman and philanthropist Juan Entrecanales in the Values ​​category.

Awarded by a jury chaired by Fernando Belzunce –Editorial Director of Vocento– and made up of the editors of 17 of the 28 newspapers with which XLSemanal is distributed every Sunday and by the magazine's director, Mar Cohnen , the XLSemanal Awards were presented at an event presented by the writer Espido Freire, followed by a cocktail party attended by some of the most relevant figures in the worlds of business, politics and culture, such as the Secretary of State for Culture, Jordi Martí Grau; the CEO of Vocento, Manuel Mirat; the Secretary General of the Popular Party, Cuca Gamarra; and the director of the Royal Academy of Fine Arts of San Fernando, Tomás Marco.

This year's XLSemanal Awards featured Cantabria Labs, Reale, Santander, and Telefónica as event sponsors, along with sponsorship from Bodegas Marqués de Cáceres and Renault. The event was opened by Ignacio Ybarra, president of Vocento, who emphasized that "XLSemanal champions intelligent, quality journalism . Journalism that thinks of its readers and invites us to reflect on the world we live in."

Following her remarks, Mar Cohnen also noted that "XLSemanal is much more than the most widely read Sunday newspaper in Spain . We are a laboratory for coexistence, a unique and successful shared space that integrates newspapers, publishing companies, and different ways of thinking and seeing. XLSemanal is the most disruptive exercise in cross-cutting issues in the Spanish publishing scene."

Jaume Plensa is, as the director of XLSemanal said, "our most prestigious and international contemporary artist." In her emotional speech, Plensa recalled how she realized she was an artist and couldn't be anything else: "Dedicating yourself to art isn't a decision; it's something you suddenly realize is inevitable. When I moved to Berlin, I didn't really know what I was looking for. I suppose I found something, and I still look for it every day when I go into the studio," she confessed. Plensa is happy that her works connect with the public: "Installing works in public spaces around the world and having people embrace them and make them their own is the best reward I can receive."

The philosopher Amelia Valcárcel , professor emeritus of Moral and Political Philosophy, has dedicated her life to defending women's rights with tenacity and argument. "Philosophy is an ally of truth, of world change, and of freedom, and feminism is part of that freedom. It is freedom for everyone: let nothing bind you because you were born a woman. Philosophy is thought that creates the world, and thought is the strangest and most powerful energy that exists; it is the only thing capable of altering the world. Philosophy is splendid."

Engineer Elena García Armada is the creator of the world's first pediatric exoskeletons. Thanks to them, 17 million children with motor difficulties will be able to walk, and not only that: they will also be able to play and feel integrated. "We strive to democratize technology to improve the quality of life of children with disabilities. If there's one thing that fills us with energy, it's being able to enjoy the huge smiles these children display every time they stand up and start walking with one of our exoskeletons. The children's smiles, which light up everything, and the grateful hugs from their mothers are the energy that fuels the work of this team."

Juan Entrecanales was recognized for the quiet and discreet work of the foundation that bears his name, which has promoted numerous social projects. "Although I retired at 70, I want to remain active and help others. Every morning I go to the foundation, which is dedicated to funding organizations that work to improve and transform the quality of life of vulnerable people. We work in social action, cooperation and development, and cultural action. The difficult part—the day-to-day management—is handled by a highly competent team," explained the honorary president of Acciona.

The four winners received a work created exclusively for these awards by sculptor Francisco Leiro. Also present at the event were writers Juan Manuel de Prada, Lorenzo Silva, and Carmen Posadas; artists Francisco Leiro, Blanca Muñoz, and Gustavo Ferrer-Dalmau; philanthropist Paco Arango; businessman Santiago Bergareche; photojournalist Álvaro Ybarra Zavala; and gallery owner María Porto.