Every fall, for the past 30 years, Oviedo solemly celebrates the Awards Ceremony of the Premios Principe de Asturias, a.k.a. the “Spanish Nobel Prize”. The Premios Principe de Asturias are awarded yearly and were first instituted in 1981 to distinguish individuals or institutions from around the world who are considered to have made significant contibutions to mankind in their fields. A total of eight prizes are awarded in the categories of Arts, Literature, Communication and Humanities, Social Sciences, Sports, Technical and Scientific Research, Internationa Cooperation and Concord.
The awards ceremony is presided by H.R.H. the Prince of Asturias, heir to the Spanish crown and held at the Teatro Campoamor in Oviedo in late October. A week full of cultural activities, concerts and press conferences preceed the ceremony draws crowds of notable personalities and journalists from Spain and abroad and incites a great deal of enthusiam in all corners of Asturias. Some past Lauretes from the USA have been: Paul Auster, Arthur Miller, Susan Sontang, Al Gore, Lance Armstrong, Woody Allen, Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen, Google, The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and many more.
Two Oviedo alumni, Tess Jewell-Larsen, journalist and Amanda Gerke, Spanish teacher, offers us a personal account of the 2009 Premios Principe de Asturias ceremony.