International Prize Grupo Compostela–Xunta de Galicia

Prize winners

2024

The XXVIII International Prize Grupo Compostela-Xunta de Galicia awarded to Paolo Caucci von Saucken

The jury of the XXVIII International Prize Grupo Compostela-Xunta de Galicia distinguishes the Italian erudite academic, full professor of Spanish Literature and honorary president of the International Committee of Experts of the Camino de Santiago, Paolo Caucci von Saucken, in recognition of his extensive and prolific academic and scientific career in the Humanities and Social Sciences focused on the study and multidisciplinary dissemination of the Pilgrim’s route and university culture. The jury also highlights his leading role in the cultural tourism revival of the Jacobean pilgrimages since the 80s and the importance and historical work he played for the Council of Europe, resulting in the Declaration of the Camino as the First European Cultural Itinerary (1987).

The presentation ceremony of the prize takes place on 3 June 2024 in the framework of the XXX General Assembly of the Compostela Group of Universities.

Paolo Caucci von Saucken

Paolo Caucci von Saucken, Italian scholar, holds a PhD in Law (1967) and in Modern Letters (1974) from the University of Florence (Italy). He is full professor of Spanish Literature at the University of Perugia (Italy), and founder and director of the Centro Italiano di Studi Compostellani at the same university.

He began his academic activity as a lector of Italian and lecturer in charge of courses at the University of Santiago de Compostela (1968-1969 and 1969-1970) and at the Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia-UNED (1973-1974). He was chairman of the Degree Course in Foreign Languages and Cultures at the Faculty of Philosophy and Letters of the University of Perugia (2008-2011) and lecturer at the Pontifical Lateran University in Rome (1995-2005).

Always linked to the Camino de Santiago, he was a member and then president of the International Committee of Experts on the Camino de Santiago, advisor to the European Parliament and the Vatican, president of the Scientific Technical Committee of the Via Francigena of the Province of Lucca (Italy), president of the Italian Centre of Compostela Studies of the University of Perugia (Italy), president of the Centre of Jacobean Studies of Castrojeriz (Spain), president of the Foundation Santo Milagro del Cebreiro (Galicia, Spain), rector of the Confraternity of Santiago de Compostela of Perugia and president of the Centre of Melitense Studies of the Order of Malta.

In addition to an impressive volume of publications translated into several languages, he has held the presidency of the Scientific Committee of the journal ‘Compostella’, of the Editorial Board of the journal ‘Ad Limia’ and of the Scientific Committee of the Publishing House ‘Edizioni Compostellane’.

For his activity, Paolo Caucci received several decorations, including: the Gold Medal for Scientific Merit of the University of Santiago de Compostela in 1983, the Castelao Medal of the Xunta de Galicia in 1993, the Gold Medal of the City of Santiago de Compostela for Cultural Merit in 1999 and the Encomienda de Isabel La Católica by the Government of Spain in 1999, among other honours.

Members of the Jury

The honorary presidency of the jury of the XXVIII International Prize Grupo Compostela-Xunta de Galicia is held by the head of the Galician executive governement, Alfonso Rueda Valenzuela.

The presidency of the jury is held by the regional minister of Education, Science, Universities and Vocational Training of the Xunta de Galicia, Román Rodríguez González, while the vice-presidency is held by the president of the Compostela Group of Universities (CGU), Carla Martins.

As in previous editions, the ex officio member is the rector of the University of Santiago de Compostela (Spain), Antonio López Díaz. In addition, in this very occassion, the following authorities from the regional and university government teams are also members of the jury:

  • The secretary-general for Universities of the Xunta de Galicia, José Alberto Díez de Castro.
  • The director-general for Culture of the Xunta de Galicia, Anxo Manuel Lorenzo Suárez.
  • The rector of the Technological Institute of Santo Domingo (Dominican Republic), Julio Sánchez Maríñez.
  • The rector of the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (Spain), represented by vice-rector Jin Taira.

The executive secretary of the CGU, María Teresa Carballeira Rivera, acts as the secretary of this body.

Photo Gallery

Awarded for his long academic and scientific career focused on the study and multidisciplinary dissemination of the Way of St. James and university culture.

 

2023

The XXVII International Prize Grupo Compostela–Xunta de Galicia was bestowed to Luis Antonio Miguel Quintales

The jury of the XXVII International Prize Grupo Compostela-Xunta de Galicia distinguishes the professor of the University of Salamanca Luis Antonio Miguel Quintales for his key role in the enhancement of the Camino Torres. This route recovers the path taken in 1737 by the scholar Diego de Torres Villarroel on his pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela. The members of this body also highlighted his contribution to the recovery and transmission of the “itineraries of the Camino de Santiago that had been forgotten”.

The award presentation ceremony will take place on 21 September 2023 at the University of Seville (Spain), which is organising this year’s XXIX General Assembly of the Compostela Group of Universities.

 

Luis Antonio Miguel Quintales

Luis Antonio Miguel Quintales, born in the Spanish city of Salamanca in 1962, is a professor in the Department of Computer Science and Automation at the oldest of the existing Hispanic universities. His teaching and research work focuses on the areas of Bioinformatics and Computational Genomics, about which he has published in leading journals in these scientific fields.

He also stands out for his contribution to the study and dissemination of historical and Jacobean routes, through publications such as Ruta del Camino Fonseca. De Salamanca a Santiago de Compostela, which is one of the first guides on the section of the Vía de la Plata that links the capital of the province of the same name with Santiago de Compostela.

Likewise, Miguel Quintales is a key player in the recovery of Jacobean routes that have fallen into oblivion, specifically the Camino Torres. The route was taken up again after an exhaustive work of cartography, georeferencing, photography and documentation. To disseminate it, the website of the Camino Torres was created in 2011, which has allowed numerous pilgrims and cyclists to follow in the footsteps of Diego de Torres Villarroel, through Spain and Portugal. This route obtained the institutional support of the municipalities it crosses and of the Alumni Association of the University of Salamanca.

Miguel Quintales is also a trail technician for the Spanish Federation of Mountain Sports and Climbing and collaborates with the magazine Grandes Espacios, which specialises in outdoor activities.

Members of the Jury

The honorary presidency of the jury of the XXVII International Prize Grupo Compostela-Xunta de Galicia went to the head of the Galician Executive, Alfonso Rueda Valenzuela.

As for the presidency, it was held by the Regional Minister of Culture, Education, Vocational Training and Universities, Román Rodríguez González; while the vice-presidency was taken by the president of the Compostela Group of Universities (CGU), Marek Kręglewski.

As in previous editions, the ex officio member was the rector of the University of Santiago de Compostela (Spain), Antonio López Díaz. Moreover, the following authorities from the regional and university government teams also participated as members:

  • The General Secretary for Universities of the Xunta de Galicia, José Alberto Díez de Castro.
  • The General Director for Culture of the Xunta de Galicia, Anxo Manuel Lorenzo Suárez.
  • The Rector of the Technical University of Madrid (Spain), Guillermo Cisneros Pérez.
  • The Rector of the Peruvian University of Applied Sciences (Peru), Edward Roekaert Embrechts.

Besides, the executive secretary of the GCU, María Teresa Carballeira Rivera, acted as secretary of this body.

Photo Gallery

Recognised for his role in the recovery and dissemination of the historic Camino Torres

2022

The XXVI International Prize Grupo Compostela–Xunta de Galicia was bestowed to Peter Maurer

The authorities that composed the jury of the XXVI International Prize Grupo Compostela-Xunta de Galicia recognised the actions as President of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) of Peter Maurer, through which they considered that he “the strengthening of humanitarian diplomacy to ensure respect for international law”. In their resolution, they extended this distinction to ICRC, “an independent neutral institution that protects and assists victims of armed conflict and other violent situations”. Likewise, they highlighted its response to emergencies and its “promotion of respect for international humanitarian law”.

The award ceremony will take place on 8 September at the University of Fribourg (Switzerland), which is organising the XXVIII General Assembly of the Compostela Group of Universities this year.

 

Peter Maurer

Peter Maurer, who was born in 1956 in the Swiss town of Thun, is notable for his long diplomatic career in his home country and the international arena. Prior to that, he studied history and international law in Berne, after which he obtained a doctorate.

He began his diplomatic career in the Swiss Confederation in 1987, before being appointed deputy permanent observer at the Swiss mission to the United Nations in 1996. As an ambassador and permanent representative of Switzerland to the United Nations (2004), he worked for the integration of his country into multilateral networks. He then chaired the UN’s Fifth Committee (2009), in charge of the organisation’s administrative and budgetary affairs.

In 2010, he returned to his home country and became Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs. Since 2012, he has served as President of the International Committee of the Red Cross and under his leadership, the organisation carries out humanitarian work in over 80 countries.

Members of the Jury

The meeting of the jury of the XXVI International Prize Grupo Compostela-Xunta de Galicia was chaired by the Director General for Culture of Xunta de Galicia, José Anxo M. Lorenzo Suárez, on behalf of the Regional Culture, Education, Vocational Training and Universities of the Xunta de Galicia, Román Rodríguez González.

This body is also composed of the following authorities:

  • The General Secretary for Universities of the Xunta de Galicia, José Alberto Díez de Castro.
  • The President of the Compostela Group of Universities, Marek Kręglewski.
  • The Rector of the University of Santiago de Compostela (Spain), Antonio López Díaz.
  • The Rector of the University of Oviedo (Spain), Ignacio Villaverde Menéndez.
  • The Rector of the CETYS University (Mexico), Fernando León García.

The Executive Secretary of the Compostela Group of Universities, María Teresa Carballeira Rivera, served as secretary to the jury.

Photo Gallery

Laureate for his role in strengthening humanitarian diplomacy to ensure respect for international law

2021

Javier Solana de Madariaga recognised with the XXV International Prize Grupo Compostela–Xunta de Galicia

The jury of the XXV International Prize Grupo Compostela-Xunta de Galicia resolved to grant the award to former Spanish Minister of Culture Javier Solana de Madariaga for his “actions in favour of the main milestones of the Jacobean route”. Moreover, they highlighted in the resolution his “permanent social commitment” and his international career, throughout which he contributed to the “development of the European values of cooperation, integration, diversity, tolerance and unity that surround” the pilgrimage route.

The awarding ceremony took place within the framework of the XXV General Assembly of the Compostela Group of Universities, hosted by the University of Santiago de Compostela.

 

Francisco Javier Solana de Madariaga

Francisco Javier Solana de Madariaga is a Spanish politician and diplomat with a notorious career in the national and international arena. He was Spain’s Minister of Culture (1982-1988), Minister of Education and Science (1988-1992), and Minister of Foreign Affairs (1992-1995). He was also General Secretary of NATO (1995-1999), High Representative of
the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy (1999-2009) and Commander-in-Chief of EUFOR (1999-2009).

As for his academic career, Javier Solana holds a PhD and a professorship in Physical Sciences from the Complutense University of Madrid (Spain). After graduating from this university, he continued his education in the United Kingdom and the United States of America, where he completed his postgraduate studies.

He currently chairs EsadeGeo-ESADE’s Center for Global Economy and Geopolitics, the Royal Board of Trustees of the Prado Museum, the Aspen Institute Spain, and the executive committee of the Barcelona Institute for Global Health. He is also a member of the boards of trustees of the Fundación Bancaria La Caixa and the Fundación Telefónica.

Members of the Jury

The meeting of the jury of the XXV International Prize Grupo Compostela-Xunta de Galicia was chaired by the General Secretary for Universities of Xunta de Galicia, José Alberto Díez de Castro, on behalf of the Regional Minister for Culture, Education and University, Román
Rodríguez González. The following authorities were likewise members of this jury:

  • The General Secretary for Culture of the Xunta de Galicia, Anxo Lorenzo Suárez.
  •  The President of the Compostela Group of Universities, Marek Kręglewski.
  • The Rector of the University of Santiago de Compostela (Spain), Antonio López Díaz.
  • The Rector of Jaume I University (Spain), Eva Alcón Soler.
  • Dr Dermot McCluskey, acting on behalf of the Rector of the Anáhuac Xalapa University (Mexico), Luis Linares Romero.

The Executive Secretary of the Compostela Group of Universities, María Teresa Carballeira Rivera, served as secretary to the jury.

Photo Gallery

Awarded for his actions in favour of the main milestones of the Jacobean route and his contribution to the development of European values.

2020

Carlos Villanueva Abelairas awarded the XXIV International Prize Grupo Compostela–Xunta de Galicia

The jury of the XXIV International Prize Grupo Compostela-Xunta de Galicia, which met online on past Tuesday, decide to award the honour to musician and musicologist Carlos Villanueva Abelairas for his “prolific career in the study of the Jacobean culture and the music linked to the Camino de Santiago, as well as his relevant contribution to the project of building the instruments of the Portico de la Gloria” of the cathedral of the Galician capital.

The award ceremony was held at University of Minho (Portugal) and the live-streamed through its Youtube channel, in the framework of the XXVI General Assembly of the Compostela Group of Universities. Professor Villanueva received the golden shell, the symbol of the Compostela Group of Universities in this ceremony.

Carlos Villanueva chose to donate the economic allocation (6.000 euros) of the XXIV International Prize Grupo Compostela-Xunta de Galicia to ‘Lucha contra la COVID-19’ research line of Sumo Valor crowdfunding project of the University of Santiago de Compostela.

 

Carlos Villanueva Abelairas

Carlos Villanueva Abelairas is a Full Professor of Music at the University of Santiago de Compostela since 2000 and Emeritus Full Professor since 2020. His first lines of research focused mainly on the performance of early music and medieval instruments, and later on music criticism, Spanish and Latin American music of the 20th century, music and exile, and music and identities.

Besides, his publications related to the instruments of the Portico de la Gloria at Santiago de Compostela Cathedral are a reference in international musicology and he was co-director of the project to build the instruments of this space, sponsored by Barrié de la Maza Foundation and developed between 1990 and 1994. With the aim of spreading this project internationally, he toured all over the world and made numerous recordings with the Chamber Group of the University of Santiago de Compostela, internationally recognized for its specialization in Early Music. With this group, which he conducted from 1977 to 2004, he recorded ten albums and contributed to the dissemination of the Spanish musical repertoire of the 12th and 17th centuries at an international level.

In his extensive literary production, the works El Códice Calixtino y la música de su tiempo, Polifonía jacobea. Los villancicos al Apóstol de José de Vaquedano, El sonido de la piedra (Encuentro sobre instrumentos en el Camino de Santiago), the edition of the Cancioneiro Musical de Galicia de Castro Sampedro e Folga and the monograph on Víctor Said Armesto. Unha vida e romance stand out.

Carlos Villanueva also stands out for his work as a curator of exhibitions such as Jesús Bal and Gay. Tientos y Silencios 1905-1993 or as scientific responsible in the project Centenario Said Armesto (1914-2014).

Interview with the awardee

Content available only in Spanish. 

Members of the Jury

The meeting of the jury of the XXIII International Prize Grupo Compostela-Xunta de Galicia was chaired by the Regional Minister for Education, University and Professional Training of Xunta de Galicia, Carmen Pomar. The following authorities were also members of this jury:

  • The General Secretary for Universities of Xunta de Galicia, José Alberto Díez de Castro.
  • The General Technical Secretary of the Regional Ministry for Education, University and Professional Training of Xunta de Galicia, Jesús Oitavén Barcala.
  • The President of the Compostela Group of Universities, Marek Kręglewski.
  • The Rector of the University of Santiago de Compostela, Antonio López Díaz.
  • The Rector of the University of Salamanca (Spain), Ricardo Rivero Ortega.
  • The Rector of the University of Malaga (Spain), José Ángel Narváez Bueno.

The Executive Secretary of the Compostela Group of Universities, María Teresa Carballeira Rivera, acted as a secretary to the jury.

Photo Gallery

Awarded for his prolific career in the study of the Jacobean culture and the music linked to the Camino de Santiago.

2019

The XXIII International Prize Grupo Compostela–Xunta de Galicia awarded to George Greenia

The jury of the XXIII International Prize Grupo Compostela-Xunta de Galicia, which met in Santiago de Compostela, decided to award the honour to the academic and researcher George D. Greenia for his “prolific academic trajectory, connection with Galicia and contribution to the dissemination of the Jacobean phenomenon”.

The award ceremony took place on 4 June 2019 within the framework of the XXV General Assembly of the Compostela Group of Universities, which this year was held at the University of Guadalajara (Mexico). At this ceremony, Greenia received a golden shell, the symbol of the Compostela Group of Universities.

George D. Greenia decided donated the economic contribution (6,000 euros) of the XXIII International Prize Grupo Compostela – Xunta de Galicia to the Institute for Pilgrimage Studies of William & Mary.

George D. Greenia

George D. Greenia is the founder of the Institute for Pilgrimage Studies and the president of Alpha Delta Gamma National Honorary Society for Medieval & Renaissance Studies, both established at the Higher Education institution William & Mary in Williamsburg (U.S.A).

Author of several Spanish language textbooks and numerous articles on Hispanic Medievalism. He is currently editor of the medieval newsletter and journal La Crónica sobre lengua y literatura españolas of the Division on Medieval Spanish of the Modern Language Association and member of the advisory board of Cuadernos de Estudios Gallegos of the Instituto de Estudios Gallegos Padre Sarmiento of CSIC, as well as the scientific committee of the journal of Jacobean studies and pilgrimage Ad Limina of the S.A. de Gestión del Plan Xacobeo.

Among the more than twenty distinctions and awards he holds, the Encomienda de la Orden de Isabel la Católica granted by S.M El Rey de España and the Ángel del Camino award conferred by the Enxebre Orden de la Vieira, a confraternity of Galician expatriates who support the Camino de Santiago.

Members of the Jury

The meeting of the jury of the XXIII International Prize Grupo Compostela-Xunta de Galicia was chaired by the Regional Minister for Education, University and Professional Training of Xunta de Galicia, Carmen Pomar. The following authorities are also members of this jury:

  • The General Secretary for Universities of Xunta de Galicia, José Alberto Díez de Castro.
  • The General Technical Secretary for Education of the Xunta de Galicia, Jesús Oitavén Barcala.
  • The President of the Compostela Group of Universities, Marek Kręglewski.
  • The Rector of the University of Santiago de Compostela, Antonio López Díaz.
  • The Rector of the University of Seville, Miguel Ángel Castro Arroyo.
  • The Vice-Rector for Higher Education of the University of Monterrey, Carlos Basurto.

The Executive Secretary of the Compostela Group of Universities, María Teresa Carballeira Rivera, acted as a secretary to the jury.

Photo Gallery

Awarded for his prolific academic trajectory, connection with Galicia and contribution to the dissemination of the Jacobean phenomenon.

2018

The XXII International Prize Grupo Compostela–Xunta de Galicia awarded to María Pilar Alonso Abad

The jury of the XXII International Prize Grupo Compostela-Xunta de Galicia agreed to award the honour to the academic and researcher María Pilar Alonso Abad for her contribution to the dissemination of the values of the Camino de Santiago as a lecturer and her unique research on its cultural heritage.

The jury, gathered in May 2018 in Santiago de Compostela (Spain), emphasized also her national and international projection, given her youth.

María Pilar Alonso Abad received the golden shell, symbol of the Compostela Group of Universities, during the closing ceremony of the XXIV General Assembly of the Compostela Group of Universities, held at the University of Salamanca (Spain) in September 2018. The awardee decided to donate the economic contribution (6,000 euros) of the XXII International Prize Grupo Compostela – Xunta de Galicia to Cáritas Diocesana de Burgos.

María Pilar Alonso Abad

María Pilar Alonso Abad is coordinator of the Marie Curie European project in Archaeology and Cultural Heritage, member of the Ernst-Herzfeld-Gesellschaft Society for the Study of Islamic Heritage and member of the International Scientific Committee of the Asociación de Municipios del Camino de Santiago. Author of works such as El Real Monasterio de Las Huelgas de Burgos and Las Vidrieras de la Catedral de Burgos.

Graduate in Philosophy and Arts from the University of Navarra and in Humanities from the University of Burgos. Doctor in Humanities with a specialization in Art History from this Castilian-Leonese university and professor of this department at the academic institution.

Members of the Jury

The Jury of the XXII International Prize Grupo Compostela-Xunta de Galicia was chaired by the General Secretary of the Xunta de Galicia for Culture, Anxo M. Lorenzo Suárez, acting in delegation of the Regional Minister for Culture, Education and University Development, Román Rodríguez González. The following authorities were also part of the Jury:

  • The General Secretary of the Xunta de Galicia for Universities, José Alberto Díez de Castro.
  • The President of the Compostela Group of Universities, Marek Kręglewski.
  • The Rector of the University of Santiago de Compostela, Juan M. Viaño Rey.
  • The Rector of the Pontifical Catholic University of Peru, Marcial Rubio Correa.
  • The Rector of the University of Leon, Juan Francisco García Marín.

The Executive Secretary of the Compostela Group of Universities, Teresa Carballeira Rivera, acted as Secretary of the Jury.

Photo Gallery

Recognised for her contribution to the dissemination of the values of the Camino de Santiago as a lecturer and her unique research on its cultural heritage.

2017

The XXI International Prize Grupo Compostela–Xunta de Galicia awarded to Marcelino Oreja Aguirre

The jury of the XXI International Prize Grupo Compostela–Xunta de Galicia recognises with this award the work of Marcelino Oreja Aguirre to set a path that marked the future of the Pilgrimage routes as crossroads of European values.

The jury, which gathered in May 2017 in Santiago de Compostela (Spain), highlighted the figure of the prize-winner as promoter of the Camino de Santiago and Human Rights, also underlining his leadership in favor of the construction of Europe and in the participation of Spain in the Council of Europe.

Marcelino Oreja Aguirre collected the golden shell, symbol of the Compostela Group of Universities, during the closing ceremony of the XXIII General Assembly of the CGU, held at the University of Pécs (Hungary). The awardee resolved to donate the economic contribution (6,000 euros) of the XXI International Prize Grupo Compostela-Xunta de Galicia to Aldeas Infantiles SOS Galicia.

Marcelino Oreja Aguirre

Marcelino Oreja Aguirre is President of the University Institute for European Studies of the San Pablo-CEU University (Spain), President of the Ad Sanctum Iacobum Peregrinatio Foundation, as well as honorary member of both the Royal Academy of Moral and Politics Sciences and the European Academy of Sciences and Arts.

Doctor in Law by the Complutense University of Madrid (Spain), he has held numerous positions of political and diplomatic significance in the Spanish and European institutions, as for instance: Minister for Foreign Affairs in Spain during the Transition (1976-1980), Secretary General of the Council of Europe (1984-1989) and European Commissioner (1994-1999).

It is praiseworthy his intervention in the signing acts of the Declaration of Human Rights at the United Nations and in the joining of Spain to the Council of Europe, as well as his collaboration in the elaboration of the first draft of European Union By-Laws, which culminated in the Maastricht Treaty (1992).

Adoptive Son of Santiago de Compostela and winner of the Golden Medal of Culture of Santiago de Compostela, he is the promoter of the Declaration of Santiago de Compostela, which designated the Camino de Santiago as the first cultural route of the Council of Europe.

Members of the Jury

The Jury of the XXI International Prize Grupo Compostela-Xunta de Galicia was chaired by the General Secretary of the Xunta de Galicia for Culture, Anxo M. Lorenzo Suárez, acting in delegation of the Regional Minister for Culture, Education and University Development, Román Rodríguez González. The following authorities were also part of the jury:

  • The General Secretary of the Xunta de Galicia for Universities, José Alberto Díez de Castro.
  • The President of the Compostela Group of Universities, Marek Kręglewski.
  • The Rector of the University of Santiago de Compostela, Juan M. Viaño Rey.
  • The Rector of the University of A Coruña, Julio E. Abalde Alonso.
  • The Rector of the UNESP – Universidade Estadual Paulista “Júlio de Mesquita Filho”, Sandro Roberto Valentini.

The Executive Secretary of the Compostela Group of Universities, Teresa Carballeira Rivera, acted as Secretary of the Jury.  

Photo Gallery

Awarded for his work to set a path that marked the future of the Pilgrimage routes as crossroads of European values.

2016

The XX International Prize Grupo Compostela–Xunta de Galicia awarded to the European Association of Regional Television

The Compostela Group of Universities (CGU) and the Xunta de Galicia decided to award the XX International Prize Grupo Compostela-Xunta de Galicia to the European Association of Regional Television, CIRCOM, as an acknowledgment for its support to diversity and regional development in Europe.

The jury of the XX International Prize Grupo Compostela–Xunta de Galicia appraised CIRCOM support to European cultural diversity, likewise its promotion of tolerance and integration, values associated to the construction of Europe.

The XXII General Assembly of the Compostela Group of Universities, held at Jaume I University (Spain) was the framework of the prize-giving ceremony, where the secretary general of CIRCOM, Fernando Ojea, collected the golden shell on behalf of the association.

CIRCOM decided to donate the economic contribution of the prize (6.000€) to the European Youth Centre of the Council of Europe, which organised in July 2016 a Peace Summer Camp that brought together youth from Europe and countries in conflict. This economic support will contribute to cover the costs of the participation of young Syrian refugees.

CIRCOM

CIRCOM was founded on 1983 as initiative of a team of professionals from different European televisions, with the main purpose of supporting the development of regional identities in Europe. The basis was to use the main role of television in the development of the European idea.

Nowadays CIRCOM is composed of 300 tv channels from 3 European States, and its main objectives are:

  • To be a forum for ideas and experience and a network for exchanging personnel and equipment;
  • To make coproductions and encourage the exchange of regional programmes;
  • To develop the regional culture and identities;
  • To contribute the development of regional identities from an innovative and practical angle, among others.

Members of the Jury

The Jury of the XX International Prize Grupo Compostela-Xunta de Galicia was chaired by the General Secretary of the Xunta de Galicia for Culture, Anxo M. Lorenzo Suárez, and composed by the following authorities:

  • The General Secretary of the Xunta de Galicia for Universities, José Alberto Díez de Castro.
  • The President of the Compostela Group of Universities, Marek Kręglewski.
  • The Rector of the University of Santiago de Compostela, Juan M. Viaño Rey.
  • The Vice-provost for Global Initiatives of the University of Drexel, Juli Mostov.
  • The Director of the International Office and Assistant to the President for International Relations of the University of Regensburg, Marianne Sedlemaier.

The Executive Secretary of the Compostela Group of Universities, Isabel Lirola, acted as Secretary of the Jury.

Photo Gallery

Awarded for its support to diversity and regional development in Europe.

2015

The XIX International Prize Grupo Compostela–Xunta de Galicia given to the European Erasmus programme

The Compostela Group of Universities (CGU) and the Xunta de Galicia decided to award the XIX International Prize Grupo Compostela-Xunta de Galicia to the European Erasmus programme, as a recognition for its work in favour of the promotion of the European values through the mobility of thousands of students each year.

The award ceremony took place during the XXI General Assembly of the Compostela Group of Universities, held at the University of Santiago de Compostela (Spain).

The representatives of Erasmus programme resolved to donate the economic contribution of the award (6.000€) to garagErasmus Foundation, a professional association built on the talent of the first Erasmus generation. The main aim of this foundation is boosting talent mobility and connecting the Erasmus generation to companies, recruiters and investors in Europe and around the world.

Erasmus programme

Erasmus is a European Commission student mobility programme in education and training, established at 1987. It has enabled over three million students from across Europe to pursue enriching learning experiences in other countries.

This academic programme is designed to support the efforts to efficiently use the potential of Europe’s human talent and social capital, while confirming the principle of lifelong learning by linking support to formal, non-formal and informal learning throughout the education, training and youth fields.

The renewed Erasmus + Programme replaces seven programmes with one, with the same spirit: to support young people, students and adults for gaining experience and skills by studying, training and volunteering abroad.

Members of the Jury

The jury of the XIX International Prize Grupo Compostela-Xunta de Galicia was chaired by the Rector of the University of Santiago de Compostela, Juan Viaño Rey, in delegation of the President of the Xunta de Galicia, Alberto Núñez Feijóo, and the Regional Minister for Culture, Education and University Development, Román Rodríguez. The following authorities were also part of the jury:

  • The General Secretary of the Xunta de Galicia for Culture, Anxo Lorenzo Suárez.
  • The General Secretary of the Xunta de Galicia for Universities, José Alberto Díez de Castro.
  • The President of the Compostela Group of Universities, Maurits van Rooijen.
  • The Vice-chancellor of the University of Roehampton, Paul O’Prey.
  • The Rector of La Salle University, Enrique A. González Álvarez.

 The Executive Secretary of the Compostela Group of Universities, Isabel Lirola, acted as secretary of the Jury.

Photo Gallery

Awarded for its work in favour of the promotion of the European values through the mobility of thousands of students each year.

2014

The XVIII International Prize Grupo Compostela–Xunta de Galicia awarded to Lennart Levi

The Compostela Group of Universities (CGU) and the Xunta de Galicia decided to give the XVIII International Prize Grupo Compostela-Xunta de Galicia to the Swedish scientist Lennart Levi, as an acknowledgement for his promotion of the European values through a career committed and oriented to the improvement of physical, mental and social wellbeing of entire populations.

The award ceremony took place during the XX General Assembly of the Compostela Group of Universities, held at the Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznan (Poland).

Lennart Levi decided to donate the economic contribution of the award (6.000 €) to the humanitarian organisation Médecins Sans Frontières.

Lennart Levi

Lennart Levi is Professor Emeritus of Psychosocial Medicine and was the first professor of this discipline at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm (Sweden) in 1978. In this institution, he founded in 1959 and led the department of Stress Research, which in 1973 was designated as the first center dedicated to the discipline by the World Health Organization (WHO).

Between 1982 and 2005, he chaired the Occupational Psychiatry section of the World Psychiatric Association and, since 2001, the International Association for the Treatment of Stress.

Prior to his retirement in 1995, he was an adviser to WHO, the International Labour Organization and the European Commission in his field of expertise.

During the period 2006-2011, Levi was a member of the Swedish Parliament and spokesperson for Public and Occupational Health issues of the Centre Party.

Members of the Jury

The jury of the XXVIII International Prize Grupo Compostela-Xunta de Galicia was chaired by the General Secretary of the Xunta de Galicia for Culture, Anxo M. Lorenzo Suárez, acting in delegation of the President of the Xunta de Galicia, Alberto Núñez Feijóo, and the Regional Minister for Culture, Education and University Development, Jesús Vázquez. The following authorities were also part of the Jury:

  • The General Secretary of the Xunta de Galicia for Universities, José Alberto Díez de Castro.
  • The President of the Compostela Group of Universities, Maurits van Rooijen.
  • The Rector of the University of Santiago de Compostela, Juan Casares Long.
  • The Director of the International School of Law and Business (Lithuania), Daiva Daugviliené.
  • The Rector of the University of Chemical Technology and Metallurgy (Bulgary), Mitko Georgiev.

The Executive Secretary of the Compostela Group of Universities, Isabel Lirola, acted as secretary of the Jury.

Photo Gallery

Awarded as an acknowledgement for his promotion of the European values through a career committed and oriented to the improvement of physical, mental and social wellbeing of entire populations.

2013

Euronews awarded the XVII International Prize Grupo Compostela–Xunta de Galicia

The Compostela Group of Universities (CGU) and the Xunta de Galicia decided to give the XVII International Prize Grupo Compostela-Xunta de Galicia to the television channel Euronews for its contribution as a creator and storyteller from a European point of view.

The award ceremony took place during the XIX General Assembly of the Compostela Group of Universities, held at the University of Nantes (France). During this ceremony, the Director for External Relations of Euronews, Grégoire de Rubiana, communicated their decision to donate the economic contribution of the award (6.000 €) to the United Nations Refugees Agency. This economic contribution was used to support the current work of the agency in Siria.

Euronews

Television channel Euronews produces simultaneously news and programmes in 13 language services: Arabic, English, French, German, Greek, Hungarian, Italian, Persian, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Turkish and Ukrainian. Although it was born as a service for Europe, Euronews ended up broadcasting in Europe, America and North Africa. It currently reaches 400 million households in 155 countries via cable, digital satellite and terrestrial windows.

Members of the Jury

The jury of the XXVII International Prize Grupo Compostela-Xunta de Galicia was chaired by the Regional Minister for Culture, Education and University Development, Jesús Vázquez, acting in delegation of the President of the Xunta de Galicia, Alberto Núñez Feijóo. The following authorities were also part of the jury:

  • The General Secretary of the Xunta de Galicia for Culture, Anxo Lorenzo.
  • The General Secretary of the Xunta de Galicia for Universities, José Alberto Díez de Castro.
  • The President of the Compostela Group of Universities, Maurits van Rooijen.
  • The Rector of the University of Santiago de Compostela (Spain), Juan Casares Long.
  • The President of UNINETTUNO (Italy), María Amato Garito.
  • The Rector of the University of Monterrey (Mexico), Antonio Dieck Assad.

The Executive Secretary of the Compostela Group of Universities, Isabel Lirola, acted as secretary of the Jury.

Photo Gallery

Awarded for its contribution as a creator and storyteller from a European point of view.

2012

College of Europe awarded the XVI International Prize Grupo Compostela–Xunta de Galicia

The Compostela Group of Universities (CGU) and the Xunta de Galicia decided to give the XVI International Prize Grupo Compostela-Xunta de Galicia to the university institute College of Europe as a recognition for its promotion of the European values in Higher Education.

The Fundación Galicia Europa (Spain) submitted this nomination with the aim to enhance the variety of its postgraduate European study programmes of this institution, which are renowned worldwide.

The award ceremony was held during the XVIII General Assembly of the Compostela Group of Universities, which took place at the University of Oulu (Finland).

College of Europe

The College of Europe is an independent university institute of postgraduate European studies, with two campus in Bruges (Belgium) and Natolin (Poland). It brings together more than 400 students coming out from all over Europe.

It was founded in 1949 by leading European figures and founding fathers of the European Union such as Salvador de Madariaga, Winston Churchill, Paul- Henri Spaak and Alcide De Gasperi. It was born in the wake of the Hague Congress of 1948 to promote “a spirit of solidarity and mutual understanding between all the nations of Western Europe and to provide elite training to individuals who will uphold these values” and “to train an elite of young executives for Europe”.

Members of the Jury

The jury of the XVI International Prize Grupo Compostela-Xunta de Galicia was chaired by the Regional Minister for Culture, Education and University Development, Jesús Vázquez, acting in delegation of the President of the Xunta de Galicia, Alberto Núñez Feijóo. The following authorities were also part of the jury:

  • The General Secretary of the Xunta de Galicia for Culture, Anxo Lorenzo.
  • The General Secretary of the Xunta de Galicia for Universities, José Alberto Díez de Castro.
  • The President of the Compostela Group of Universities, Maurits van Rooijen.
  • The Vice rector for External Relations and Internationalization of the University of Santiago de Compostela (Spain), Víctor Millet Schröder.
  • The Vice-president of International Relations of the Universidad Mayor (Chili), René Lara
  • The member of the Administrative Council of the University of Nantes (France), Mrs Pilar Martínez- Vasseur.

The Executive Secretary of the Compostela Group of Universities, Isabel Lirola, acted as secretary of the Jury.

Photo Gallery

Awarded as a recognition for its promotion of the European values in Higher Education.

2011

The XV International Prize Grupo Compostela–Xunta de Galicia awarded to Neelie Kroes

The Compostela Group of Universities (CGU) and the Xunta de Galicia decided to award the XV International Prize Grupo Compostela-Xunta de Galicia to the Vice-president of the European Commission and Digital Agenda Commissioner, Neelie Kroes, as acknowledgement to her work that represents the spirit of the award and the association itself, fostering communication among different cultures and mutual understanding.

The prize-giving ceremony took place during the XVII General Assembly of the Compostela Group of Universities, held at the University of Minho (Portugal).

Neelie Kroes decided to donate the economic contribution of the award (6.000 €) to the Belgian NGO Greenlight for Girls, which aim is to foster science, technology, engineering and mathematics among women.

Neelie Kroes

Neelie Kroes is currently the Vice-president of the European Commission and Digital Agenda Commissioner. Born in the Netherlands, she has developed a long career in her country’s politic arena. Kroes was deputy at the national Parliament and served as Minister for Transport, Public Works and Telecommunication from 1982 to 1989.

Besides, she held several positions both in the academic field, as President of Nyenrode University, and at company management. As well as in charity foundations as an advisor for the Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund and World Cancer Research Fund.

Members of the Jury

The jury of the XV International Prize Grupo Compostela-Xunta de Galicia was chaired by the Regional Minister for Culture, Education and University Development, Jesús Vázquez, acting in delegation of the President of the Xunta de Galicia, Alberto Núñez Feijóo, and the Regional Minister for Culture and Tourism, Roberto Varela Fariña. The following authorities were also part of the Jury:

  • The General Secretary of the Xunta de Galicia for Universities, José Alberto Díez de Castro.
  • The President of the Compostela Group of Universities, Maurits van Rooijen.
  • The Rector of the University of Santiago de Compostela (Spain), Juan Casares Long.
  • The Rector of Philipps-Universität Marburg (Germany), Katharina Krause.

The Rector of the University of Vigo (Spain), Salustiano Mato de la Iglesia.

Photo Gallery

Awarded as acknowledgement to her work that represents the spirit of the award and the association itself, fostering communication among different cultures and mutual understanding.

2010

The XIV International Prize Grupo Compostela–Xunta de Galicia conceded to Mohamed ElBaradei

The Compostela Group of Universities (CGU) and the Xunta de Galicia decided to concede the XIV International Prize Grupo Compostela-Xunta de Galicia to Mohamed ElBaradei in recognition of his long diplomatic career in defence of peace and understanding across cultures.

The awarding ceremony took place during the XVI General Assembly of the Compostela Group of Universities at the University of Santiago de Compostela (Spain).

Mohamed ElBaradei

Mohamed ElBaradei diplomatic career began in 1964 in the Egyptian Ministry of External Affairs, where he served in the Permanent Missions of Egypt to the United Nations in New York and Geneva, in charge of political, legal and arms control issues. From 1974 to 1978, he was a special assistant to the Egyptian Foreign Minister. In 1980, he became a senior fellow in charge of the international law program at the United Nations Institute for Training and Research. He was also Director-General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) from December 1997 until November 2009.

In October 2005, ElBaradei and the IAEA itself were announced as joint recipients of the Nobel Peace Prize for their “efforts to prevent nuclear energy from being used for military purposes and to ensure that nuclear energy for peaceful purposes is used in the safest possible way”. He donated all his winnings to building orphanages in his home city of Cairo. The IAEA´s winnings were spent on training scientists from developing countries to use nuclear techniques in combating cancer and malnutrition.

 ElBaradei has received many awards for his work as an international civil servant, such as the Franklin Roosevelt Four Freedoms Award, the James Park Morton Interfaith Award, the Human Security Award from the Muslim Public Affairs Council, the El Athir Award -Argelia´s highest national distinction-, the Golden Dove of Peace Prize from the President of Italy, the Honorary Patron of Trinity´s University Philosophical Society, the Award for Distinguished Contribution to the Peaceful Worldwide Use of Nuclear Technology or the International Peace Award of the Mostar Centre for Peace and Multiethnic Cooperation.

 He earned a Bachelor´s degree in Law from the University of Cairo in 1962, followed by a DEA degree in International Law at the Graduate Institute of International Studies HEI in Geneva and a PhD in International Law at the New York University School of Law in 1974. From 1981 to 1987, he was an Adjunct Professor of International Law at New York University School of Law.

Members of the Jury

The jury of the XIV International Prize Grupo Compostela-Xunta de Galicia was chaired by the Regional Minister for Culture, Education and University Development, Jesús Vázquez, acting in delegation of the President of the Xunta de Galicia, Alberto Núñez Feijóo, and the Regional Minister for Culture and Tourism, Roberto Varela Fariña. The following authorities were also part of the Jury:

  • The General Secretary of the Xunta de Galicia for Universities, José Alberto Díez de Castro.
  • The President of the Compostela Group of Universities, Maurits van Rooijen.
  • The Rector of the University of Lima (Peru), Ilse Wisotzki Loli.
  • The Rector of the University of Jaen (Spain), Manuel Parras Rosa.
  • The Rector of the University of Bergen (Norway), Sigmund Grønmo.

Photo Gallery

Awarded in recognition of his long diplomatic career in defence of peace and understanding across cultures.

2009

The career of Amin Maalouf recognised with the XIII International Prize Grupo Compostela–Xunta de Galicia

The Compostela Group of Universities and the Xunta de Galicia determined to recognise the literary career of the Lebanese writer and journalist Amin Maalouf with the awarding of the XIII International Prize Grupo Compostela-Xunta de Galicia. Through his career, he contributed to the construction of a multicultural, multi-religious and multi-linguistic reality. Likewise, Maalouf´s personal development is a clear example of the links between Europe and the Mediterranean.

Amin Maalouf received the award at a ceremony celebrated in the framework the XV General Assembly of the Compostela Group of Universities, which was held at the Euro-Mediterranean University (EMUNI).

Amin Maalouf

Amin Maalouf was born in 1949 in Beirut (Lebanon). He writes mainly in French and his works have been translated into different languages. In 1993, he received the Goncourt Prize for his novel Rock of Tanios. He studied Sociology at the French University in Beirut and until the break of the Civil War in his country in 1975, he worked as a director for the Lebanese journal Al- Nahar. That same year, he moved to France, where he still lives.

His work is marked both by the Civil War experiences and by migration. His characters are generally voyagers between different lands, languages, and religions. His most regarded book at the international level is Leo Africanus, but among his fiction works, we can also highlight the following titles: The First Century after Beatrice, Gardens of Light, Ports of Call, and Balthazar’s Odyssey. He also produced nonfiction works such as The Crusades through Arab Eyes, In the Name of Identity: Violence, and The Need to Belong and Origins: Memoirs.

Members of the Jury

The Regional Minister for Education and University Development, Laura Sánchez Piñón, acting on behalf of the President of the Xunta de Galicia, Emilio Pérez Touriño, presided over the Jury of the XIII International Prize Grupo Compostela-Xunta de Galicia. The jury was also integrated by the following members: 

  • The Regional Minister for Culture and Sports, Ánxela Bugallo.
  • The Regional Director for University Development and Quality of Galician University System, José Ramón Leis Fidalgo.
  • The President of the Compostela Group of Universities, Maurits van Rooijen.
  • The Rector of the University of Girona (Spain), Anna María Geli de Ciurana.
  • The Rector of the University of Hamburg (Germany), Monika Auweter-Kurtz.
  • The Rector of the University of Guadalajara (Mexico), Marco Antonio Cortés Guardado.

The Executive Secretary of the Compostela Group of Universities, Beatriz Iglesias Seoane, acted as secretary of the Jury.

Awarded for his contribution to the construction of a multicultural, multi-religious and multi-linguistic reality.

2008

The XII International Prize Grupo Compostela-Xunta de Galicia was awarded to the TV channel ARTE

The Compostela Group of Universities and the Xunta de Galicia decided to award, unanimously, the French-German channel Arte with the XII International Prize Grupo Compostela-Xunta de Galicia.

During its trajectory, ARTE has contributed to the understanding and rapprochement between European peoples through the conception, production and broadcasting of its television programmes by satellite and other means.

Arte TV Channel received the award at a ceremony held during the XIV General Assembly of the Compostela Group of Universities hosted by the University of Roehampton, UK.

ARTE

The public-service television channel ARTE acts as a showcase for the rich cultural diversity of Europe. Its purpose is “to conceive and produce television programmes which, in a broad sense, are cultural and international in character and conducive to promoting understanding and rapprochement among Europe’s nations”. ARTE’s policy is to broadcast high-quality national and international co-productions in cinema, drama and documentaries as well as news, live and performing arts. Based on an Agreement between France and Germany, ARTE is composed of three entities, the headquarters in Strasburg and two members, ARTE France in Paris and ARTE Deutschland TV GmbH in Baden-Baden. The channel is financed through the television licence fee in both countries. ARTE is broadcast simultaneously in French and German all around Europe. Moreover, it has entered into Agreements with other public service broadcasters like, for instance, RTBF in Belgium, TVP in Poland, ORF in Austria, SRG SSR Idée Suisse in Switzerland, TVE in Spain, YLE in Finland, BBC in the United-Kingdom and SVT in Sweden.

Members of the Jury

 The Regional Minister of Education and University Development, Laura Sánchez Piñón, on behalf of the President of the Xunta de Galicia, Emilio Pérez Touriño, presided over the jury of the XIII International Prize Compostela Group-Xunta de Galicia. The jury was also composed of the following members:

  • The President of the Compostela Group of Universities, Maurits van Rooijen.
  • The Rector of the University of Cantabria, Federico Gutiérrez-Solana Salcedo.
  • The Rector of the University of Oulu (Finland), Lauri Lajunen.
  • The Rector of the University of Northeastern (USA), Joseph E. Aoun.
  • The Regional Minister of Education and University Organisation of the Xunta de Galicia, Laura Sánchez Piñón.
  • The Regional Minister of Culture and Sports, Ánxela Bugallo.
  • The Director General for Organisation and Quality of the Galician University System, José Ramón Leis Fidalgo.

The assistant to the executive secretary of the Compostela Group of Universities, Khazna Villa Al Hussen, acted as secretary of the jury.

Awarded for his contribution to the cultural rapprochement of European peoples.

2007

Manuel Castells Oliván receives the XI International Prize Grupo Compostela-Xunta de Galicia

The Compostela Group of Universities and the Xunta de Galicia awarded Manuel Castells Oliván with the XI International Prize Compostela Group-Xunta de Galicia.

The career of the sociologist Castells has focused mainly on the structures of new technologies, especially the internet, creating the concept of the Network Society.

Manuel Castells Oliván received the award at a ceremony held in the framework of the XIII General Assembly of the Compostela Group of Universities hosted by the University of Santiago de Compostela, Spain.

Manuel Castells

Castells is one of the most prestigious sociologists in the world and the main scientific reference for the Information Society. He is the author of more than twenty books and the intellectual father of the Network Society concept, which serves as a theoretical basis for many communication policy actions.

His scientific production focuses almost exclusively on the new communication technologies, mainly the Internet. He is one of the most serious analysts of the influence of the new communication structures, which are based on networks, on the different groups that make up a society. These new technologies are increasing the dimension of education and research all over the world.

In addition, he has received several awards and holds honorary doctorates from twelve universities around the world.

Members of the Jury

The Regional Minister of Education and University Development, Laura Sánchez Piñón, on behalf of the President of the Xunta de Galicia, Emilio Pérez Touriño, presided over the jury of the XIII International Prize Compostela Group-Xunta de Galicia. The jury was also composed of the following members: 

  • The president of the Compostela Group of Universities, Michael Cooper.
  • The Rector of the University of Santiago de Compostela, Senén Barro Ameneiro.
  • The Vice-Rector for Internationalisation of the Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey (Mexico), Enrique Zepeda Busto.
  • The Rector of the University of Karlstad (Sweden), Kerstin Norén. 
  • The Regional Minister of Education and University Planning of the Xunta de Galicia, Laura Sánchez Piñón.
  • The Regional Minister of Culture and Sports, Ánxela Bugallo.
  • The Director General of Organisation and Quality of the Galician University System, José Ramón Leis Fidalgo.

The executive secretary of the Compostela Group of Universities, Beatriz Iglesias Seoane, acted as secretary of the jury. 

Awarded for his analysis of the structures of new technologies that drive education and research.

2006

The Helsinki Group of Women and Science was recognised with the X International Prize Grupo Compostela-Xunta de Galicia

The Compostela Group of Universities and the Xunta de Galicia agreed to recognise the work of the Helsinki Group of Women and Science with the X International Prize Grupo Compostela-Xunta de Galicia.

Helsinki Group of Women and Science implemented its work on gender and science at the European level, for which it received the award at a ceremony held in the framework of the XII General Assembly of the Compostela Group of Universities hosted by Adam Mickiewicz University, Poland.

Helsinki Group of Women and Science

The Commission established in November 1999 a group composed of officials and gender experts from the 15 Member States of the European Union (EU) and the 15 countries associated to the Fifth Framework Programme for research, technological development and demonstration activities of the European Community (1998-2002), specifically dedicated to the women and science issues. It is often referred to as the Helsinki Group on Women and Science, as its first meeting was held in Helsinki during the Finnish Presidency of the EU.

Members of the Jury

The Regional Minister of Education and University Development, Laura Sánchez Piñón, on behalf of the President of the Xunta de Galicia, Emilio Pérez Touriño, chaired the jury of the XIII Grupo Compostela-Xunta de Galicia International Award. The jury was also composed of the following members:

  • The President of the Compostela Group of Universities, Michael Cooper.
  • The Rector of the University of Centre-Sousse (Tunisia), Ahmed Noureddine Hélal.
  • The Rector of Masaryk University, Brno (Czech Republic), Petr Fiala.
  • The Rector of the University of Cadiz (Spain), Mr Diego Sales Márquez.
  • The Regional Minister of Education and University Planning of the Xunta de Galicia, Laura Sánchez Piñón.
  • The Regional Minister of Culture and Sports, Ánxela Bugallo.
  • The Director General of Organisation and Quality of the Galician University System, José Ramón Leis Fidalgo.

The executive secretary of the Compostela Group of Universities, Beatriz Iglesias Seoane, acted as secretary of the jury.

Photo Gallery

Awarded for his contribution to gender and science.

2005

Władysław Bartoszewski was awarded with the IX International Prize Grupo Compostela–Xunta de Galicia

The Compostela Group of Universities decided to award Wladyslaw Bartoszewski with the IX International Prize Grupo Compostela-Xunta de Galicia.

Władysław Bartoszewski was a former Polish Foreign Minister. He was also involved in university teaching, book publishing and political activism, among other activities, related to the defence of human rights in connection with the crimes committed during World War II.

Władysław Bartoszewski received the award at the ceremony of the XI General Assembly of the Compostela Group of Universities at the Erasmus University in Brussels, Belgium.

Władysław Bartoszewski

Historian, publicist, former Polish Foreign Minister, he has always been active on behalf of human beings. As a young man he came into contact with the resistance against the National Socialists and helped persecuted Jews. After his arrest and deportation to the Auschwitz concentration camp, he recounted his experiences in his first book, The Autumn of Springs, after which he became a DAAD scholarship holder at the Wissenschaftskolleg in Berlin.

After the war, he spent seven years in Stalinist prisons, and when he was rehabilitated, he worked as a journalist and scientist, writing numerous books and articles, and as a teacher at the Catholic University of Lublin. His political involvement led him to join the Solidarnosc trade union. He was re-arrested after the implementation of the martial law in 1981 until his release two years later thanks to the protests of his friends in the West. Between 1983 and 1990 he taught contemporary history at the universities of Munich, Eichstätt and Augsburg. He then went to Vienna as Poland’s first non-communist ambassador. In 1995 he became Polish Foreign Minister, during which he made the famous speech to the German Federal Assembly on the 50th anniversary of the end of the war. He became an ambassador again from 2000 to 2002.

Members of the Jury

The Regional Minister of Education and University Coordination, Mr

Celso Currás, chaired the jury of the IX Compostela Group-Xunta de Galicia International Award. The jury was also composed of the following members:

  • The president of the Compostela Group of Universities, Michael Cooper.
  • The Rector of the University of Zaragoza (Spain), Felipe Pétriz Calvo.
  • The Rector of the University of Adam Mickiewicz (Poland), Boguslaw Mroz.
  • The Rector of the University of Bordeaux I (France), Daniel Chasseau.
  • The General Director of Universities (Spain), José Eduardo López Pereira.

The executive secretary of the Compostela Group of Universities, Enrique López Veloso, acted as secretary of the jury.

Awarded for his active defence of human rights.

2004

Miguel Siguan Soler was recognised with the VIII International Prize Grupo Compostela-Xunta de Galicia

The Compostela Group of Universities decided to recognise Miguel Siguan Soler’s career with VIII International Prize Grupo Compostela-Xunta de Galicia. 

Miguel introduced the concept of modern industrial psychology and devoted his career to the study of the autonomous languages of Spain, as well as to their teaching and research. 

Miguel received the award at the ceremony of the X General Assembly of the Compostela Group of Universities at the Erasmus University in Brussels, Belgium.

Miguel Siguan Soler

Miguel fought on the Republican side in the Spanish Civil War after his studies were interrupted by the war in Barcelona. After some time teaching at the London School of Economics, he introduced the concept of modern industrial psychology in Spain. His book From the country to the suburb received the Spanish National Literature Prize.  

He became a successful professor of psychology at the University of Barcelona and appointed director of the Institute of Educational Sciences at the same university. He played an important role in the educational system that brought about the political transition and the autonomy of Catalonia. He later focused on psycholinguistics, children’s language and the problems of bilingualism. In 1974 he organised the Seminar on Languages and Education, which is still held every year in Sitges, Spain.  

In 1993, devised by the European Union, he directed the survey on the knowledge and use of the languages of Spain in the autonomous communities that have their own language for the Spanish Sociological Research Centre (CIS). 

He is an Emeritus Professor at the University of Barcelona and Dean of the Faculty of Psychology, coordinator of the UNESCO scientific project LINGUAPAX, member of the European Academy and holds honorary degrees from the universities of Genoa and the Basque Country. 

Members of the Jury

Mr. Ángel Sicart Giménez. Regional Director of Cultural Heritage, delegate of the Regional Minister for Culture, Social and Communication and Tourism, presided over the jury of the VIII International Award Grupo Compostela-Xunta de Galicia. The jury was also composed of the following members: 

  • The President of the Compostela Group of Universities, Michael Cooper. 
  • The Regional Minister of Education and University Coordination, Mr Celso Currás. 
  • The Rector of the Erasmus Hogeschool Brussels, Belgium, Frank Roos. 
  • The Rector of the University of Westminster (United Kingdom), Maurits van Rooijen. 
  • The Regional Director of Universities (Spain), José Eduardo López Pereira. 

The executive secretary of the Compostela Group of Universities, Enrique López Veloso, acted as secretary of the jury. 

Photo Gallery

Awarded for his educational, research and dissemination work on the autonomous languages of Spain. 

2003

Miguel Siguan Soler received the VII International Prize Grupo Compostela-Xunta de Galicia

The Compostela Group of Universities awarded Manuel Díaz y Díaz with the VII International Prize Grupo Compostela-Xunta de Galicia.  

Manuel has dedicated his professional work to research and dissemination in the field of philology and medieval studies, and to Jacobean Studies worldwide. 

Manuel Díaz y Díaz was awarded the prize at the ceremony of the IX General Assembly of the Compostela Group of Universities at the University of Fribourg, Switzerland.

Manuel Díaz y Díaz

Emeritus Professor at the University of Santiago de Compostela. Former professor of Latin Philology at the universities of Valencia, Salamanca and Santiago de Compostela. 

Researcher who since the 1950s has devoted his activity to the field of Latin Philology and medieval studies, becoming one of the world’s leading figures in both fields. Proof of this are the 37 doctoral theses he has supervised and the eight research projects he has carried out.  

Author of 22 books and more than 250 articles, as well as organiser of many conferences, five of them international: 

His numerous awards and decorations include the following:  

  • Medal for teaching merit from the Order of Alfonso X El Sabio.  
  • Silver Medal of Galicia from the Xunta de Galicia.  
  • Gold Medal for Cultural Merit from the city of Santiago.  
  • National prize for research in Humanities.  

Dr. Honoris Casusa from the universities of Lisbon, Salamanca, León and Coimbra. He has given many courses and lectures in many European and American universities.  

He is one of the great promoters of Jacobean Studies, participating in a multitude of projects, publications, congresses and the creation of research centres throughout Europe dedicated to the study of the Pilgrims’ Road to Santiago and its indulgence in the construction of the European world. 

His most outstanding works are, among others: 

  • Isidore of Sevilla. Etymology, general introduction. Madrid 1992. 
  • The Tumbs of Compostela. Santiago, 1985. 
  • The Codex Calixtinus of Santiago’s Cathedral. Santiago, 1988. 
  • Christian life and culture in Spain between the VII and the X centuries. London, 1992. 
  • Facsimile edition of manuscript 609 of the Book of Hours by Fernando I of Leon. Santiago, 1995.

Members of the Jury

The President of the Galician Government, Manual Fraga, presided over the jury of the VII International Compostela Group-Xunta de Galicia Award. The jury was also composed of the following members: 

  • The Rector of the University of Santiago de Compostela (Spain), Senén Barro Ameneiro. 
  • The Rector of the University of Lisbon (Portugal), José Barata-Moura. 
  • The Rector of the University of Pécs (Hungary), József Tóth. 
  • The Regional Minister of Culture, Communication and Tourism, Jesús Pérez Varela. 
  • The General Director of Universities (Spain), José Eduardo López Pereira.  

The assistant to the executive secretary, Elena Sánchez, acted as secretary of the jury.   

Awarded for his research and dissemination work in Jacobean Studies throughout Europe.

2002

The Compostela Group of Universities awarded Alvaro Siza with the VI International Prize Grupo Compostela-Xunta de Galicia

The CGU awarded the VI International Prize Grupo Compostela-Xunta de Galicia to Alvaro Siza, a Portuguese architect with extensive experience in projects throughout Europe, especially in Galicia and Portugal.  

The award ceremony was held within the framework of the VIII General Assembly of the Compostela Group of Universities organised by the University of Lisbon, Portugal. 

Alvaro Siza

Alvaro Joaquim de Melo Siza Vieira was born in Matosinhos, Porto, in June 25, 1933. He studied in the School of Fine Arts in Porto and worked with the Portuguese architect Fernando Tavora between 1955 and 1958. He taught at the School of Architecture (ESBAP) from 1966-69 and was appointed Assistant Professor of Construction in 1976. 

He has been a Visiting Professor at the Ecole Polythechnique of Lausanne, the University of Pennsylvania, the Los Andes School in Bogota and at the Graduate School of Design of Harvard University as Kenzo Tange Visiting Professor. He continues to teach at the Porto School of Architecture from Porto University.  

Among many current designs, 1200 homes were built in Malagueira, Evora, with the designs for the Setubal College of Education, the Porto Faculty of Architecture, the Aveiro University Library and the Santiago de Compostela University’s Faculty of Information Sciences. Designs include the Galician Museum of Contemporary Art in Santiago de Compostela, Spain, the Porto Modern Art Museum and, recently, a major mixed-use development in Boavista, Oporto. He has been co-ordinating the Schilderswijk Zone 5 Renovation Plan in The Hague, Holland, since 1985, and is drawing up a scheme for blocks 6-7-8 in Ceramique Terrein, Maastricht. He is also supervising reconstruction of the fire-damaged area of Chiado in Lisbon. Other major works include the Praca de Espanha/Avenida Malhoa Master Plan in Lisbon and the design for the Meteorological Centre of the Olympic Village in Barcelona. 

The Portuguese Department of the International Association of Art Critics awarded him the Prize for Architecture in 1982. He received an Award from the Portuguese Architects Association in 1987. 

In 1988 he was awarded the Gold Medal for Architecture by the Colegio de Architectos, Spain, the Alvar Aalto Foundation Gold Medal, the Prince of Wales Prize in Urban Design from Harvard University, and the European Architectural Award by the EEC/Mies van der Rohe Foundation, Barcelona. In 1992 he was awarded the Pritzker Prize by the Hyatt Foundation of Chicago for his lifelong achievements. In 1993 he was awarded the National Architecture Prize by the Portuguese Architects Association. Doctor Honoris Causa by the University of Valencia (1992) and by the Ecole Polythechnique Federale of Lausanne (1993). 

Members of the Jury

The President of the Galician Government, Manual Fraga, presided over the jury of the VII International Compostela Group-Xunta de Galicia Award. The jury was also composed of the following members: 

  • The Rector of the University of Oulu (Finland), Lauri Lajunen. 
  • The Rector of University of Porto (Portugal), Jose Angelo Mota Novais Barbosa, reprresented by the Vice-Rector Alberto Nunes Ferreira Gomes. 
  • The Rector of the University of Montesquieu – Bordeaux IV, Gérard Hirigoyen, represented by the Presidency Executive Secretary, Marina Valverde). 
  • The Regional Minister for Education and Universities, Celso Currás Fernández. 
  • The General Director for Cultural Heritage, Angel Sicart. 

The executive secretary, Marta González, acted as secretary of the jury. 

Awarded for the quality of his architectural work and his solidary.

2001

Carla del Ponte was awarded the V International Prize Grupo Compostela-Xunta de Galicia

The CGU awarded the V International Prize Grupo Compostela-Xunta de Galicia to Carla del Ponte. 

Her trajectory involves an intense relation with the former Yugoslavia due to Carla’s accusations of crimes committed there, as well as jurisprudential work in important bodies in different European countries. 

The ceremony was held during the VII General Assembly of the Compostela Group of Universities hosted by the University of Karlstad, Sweden. 

Carla del Ponte

General Prosecutor at the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia and Rwanda. She was born in February 1947, in Lugano, Switzerland and worked as a lawyer in Berne, Geneva and Lugano, as well as being the Swiss Attorney-General. Since 1981, she has been working in various high profile cases, against organized crime, financial and economic crimes, terrorism, drug trafficking, money laundering, illegal trafficking in arms and for international legal cooperation in these issues. 

The Tribunal, located in The Hague, Netherlands, was established by Security Council resolution 827 on 25 May 1993. Its objective is to prosecute and try persons allegedly responsible for serious violations of international humanitarian law committed on the territory of the former Yugoslavia since 1991. For the first time in history, an acting Head of State, Slobodan Milosevic, has been accused of “crimes against mankind” on April 22 1999. 

The Tribunal´s authority is to prosecute and try four types of offences: 

– Grave breaches of the 1949 Geneva Conventions (Article 2); 
– Violations of the laws or customs of war (Article 3); 
– Genocide (Article 4); 
– Crimes against humanity (Article 5). 

Members of the Jury

The President of the Galician Government, Manual Fraga, presided over the jury of the VII International Compostela Group-Xunta de Galicia Award. The jury was also composed of the following members: 

  • The President of the Compostela Group of Universities, Michael Cooper, from Karlstad University (Sweden). 
  • The Rector of the University of Zaragoza (Spain), Felipe Pétriz, represented by the Vice-Rector for International Relations, Mercedes Jaime Siso. 
  • The Rector of the University of Karlstad (Sweden), Christina Ullenius, represented by the Vice-Rector, Bengt-Ove Gustavsson. 
  • The Rector of Freiburg University (Switzerland), Paul-Henri Steinauer, represented by the Vice-Rector Georges Darms. 
  • The Regional Minister of Culture, Social Communication and Tourism, Jesús Pérez Varela. 
  • The Regional Minister for Education and Universities, Celso Currás. 
  • The Director General for Universities, José Eduardo López Pereira. 

The executive secretary, Marta González, acted as secretary of the jury. 

Awarded for her work at the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia. 

2000

Cees Nooteboom recognised with the IV International Prize Grupo Compostela–Xunta de Galicia

The members of the jury of the IV International Prize Grupo Compostela-Xunta de Galicia decided to award the prize to the Dutch poet, novelist, essayist, translator and Hispanist Cees Nooteboom. They highlighted his excellent literary work and his commitment to the idea of European identity, to which he has dedicated several essays. 

The ceremony was held during the VI General Assembly of the Compostela Group of Universities, which this year was hosted by the University of Santiago de Compostela, Spain.

Cees Nooteboom

Cees Nooteboom is considered one of the most important and original European writers. Among his novels, we can mention Rituals, In the mountains of Holland, and Mokusei!; and among his essays, The Kidnapping of Europe, which is a compilation of conferences on the subject of the identity of European citizens, and also Roads to Santiago, which describes a personal journey to Compostela across the Peninsula. 

Members of the Jury

The meeting of the jury of the IV Grupo Compostela-Xunta de Galicia International Award was chaired by the President of the Xunta de Galicia, Manuel Fraga. The following authorities are also members of the jury: 

  • The president of the Compostela Group of Universities, Michael Cooper. 
  • The rector of the University of Lleida, Jaume Porta. 
  • The representative of the Rector of the University of Malta, Josef Mifsud. 
  • The representative of the Rector of the University of Lodz, Piotr Daranowski. 
  • The Regional Minister of Education and University Coordination, Celso Currás. 
  • The Regional Minister of Culture, Social Communication and Tourism, Xesús Pérez Varela. 
  • The General Director of Universities of the Xunta de Galicia, José Eduardo López Pereira. 

The executive secretary of the Compostela Group of Universities, Marta González, served as secretary to the jury. 

Awarded for his excellent literary work and his commitment to the idea of European identity.

1999

The GCU awarded Helmut Rilling with the III International Prize Grupo Compostela-Xunta de Galicia

The members of the jury of the III International Prize Grupo Compostela-Xunta de Galicia decided to award the prize to Helmut Rilling a German orchestra director and the creator of the Bachakademie, highlighting his work in favour of the preservation of the legacy of the composer Johann Sebastian Bach, the 250 anniversary of his death is celebrated in 2000, through his work as a researcher and director, and his initiative of creation of a system of international and itinerant music schools, the Bachakademies, devoted to the works of the same composer and in general to choral music. 

The ceremony was held during the V General Assembly of the Compostela Group of Universities, which this year was hosted by the University of Lleida, Spain.

Helmut Rilling

Helmuth Rilling was born in 1933 in Stuttgart in the bosom of a family fond of music and studied in that same city (organ with Karl Gerock, composition with Johann Nepomuk David and choral direction with Hans Grischkat) in Rome (with Fernando Germani and in the Accademia Musicale Chigiana in Siena) and in New York (with Leonard Bernstein). While being still a student, he founded his first choir, which counted with forty members. He centred his career on the institutions created by him: that same choir, Gähinger Kantorei, and the orchestra Bach Collegium from Stuttgart, with which he gained international fame. He was also an organist and choir maestro in the Gedächtniskirche of Stuttgart, since 1957, and teacher of choral direction and organ in the Sacred Music School of Spandau. After studying some time in New York, next to Leonard Bernstein, he took up a chair of choral direction in the State Music Higher Education School of Frankfurt and directed until 1981 the choir of Frankfurt. He was the first director who recorded Bach’s Sacred Cantatas; he has also performed for the first time Rossini’s Requiem Mass, which was considered to be lost, or Schubert’s Lazarus. In 1981 he created the Internationale Bachakademie of Stuttgart, which organises seminars in different countries aiming at increasing the knowledge of the interpretation and direction of Johann Sebastian Bach’s works. These academies act regularly in Japan, Poland, Spain, Hungary, Russia or Venezuela. In 1996, he created in Santiago de Compostela the Real Philharmonic Orchestra of Galicia.  

In 1976, Rilling became the first German director who was invited to direct the Philharmonic Orchestra of Israel accompanied by his choir. Nowadays he keeps a close relation with this orchestra, and since then he has directed a high number of concerts in Haifa, Tel Aviv and Jerusalem.  

Rilling’s discography is large and varied. His more remarkable records are the ones that contain his interpretations of the complete works of Johann Sebastian Bach’s choral music. However, at times, he also performs oratorios and less known dramatic works from the XVIII and XIX centuries. 

Members of the Jury

The meeting of the jury of the III Compostela Group-Xunta de Galicia International Award was chaired by the President of the Xunta de Galicia, Manuel Fraga. The following authorities are also members of the jury: 

  • The president of the Compostela Group of Universities, Marc Richelle, from Liege University (Belgium). 
  • The rector of Minho University (Portugal), Licínio Chainho. 
  • The rector of Neuchâtel (Switzerland), Francis Persoz. 
  • The rector of Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznan (Poland), Stefan Jurga, represented by the Vice-Rector for Research, Prof. Marek Kreglewski. 
  • The Regional Minister of Education and University Coordination, Celso Currás. 
  • The Regional Minister for Culture, Social Communication and Tourism, Jesús Pérez Varela, represented by the General Director for Cultural Heritage, Angel Sicart Giménez. 
  • The Regional Minister of Culture, Social Communication and Tourism, Xesús Pérez Varela. 
  • The General Director of Universities of the Xunta de Galicia, José Eduardo López Pereira. 

The executive secretary of the Compostela Group of Universities, Marta González, served as secretary to the jury. 

Awarded for his work in favour of the preservation of the legacy of the composer Johann Sebastian Bach and tje creationsfn of the Bachakademies.

1998

Václav Havel was recognised with the II International Prize Grupo Compostela-Xunta de Galicia

The members of the jury of the II International Prize Grupo Compostela-Xunta de Galicia decided to award the prize to Václav Havel for being an important figure at a time of difficult transition in European culture, and for having defended European culture and its philosophical values, calling for dialogue, freedom of expression and respect for the individual. They highlighted his role as a defender of humanistic values in times of adversity and turbulence, paving the way for the reunification of European culture. 

The ceremony took place during the IV General Assembly of the Compostela Group of Universities, which this year was hosted by the University of Masaryk, Czech Republic.

Václav Havel

Czech intellectual and politician. He was the last president of the Czechoslovak Republic and the first president of the Czech Republic (Prague, 1936-2011). He studied drama at the Prague Academy of Arts (1963-67) and went on to a distinguished career as a playwright, including plays critical of the society of the time. 

He was a dissident against the dominant communist regime in Czechoslovakia: he was president of the Independent Writers, supporting the Prague Spring (1968), which made it impossible for his plays to be published later, and a spokesman for defence movements that led to his imprisonment. 

When the country’s communist dictatorship weakened, Havel and much of the opposition participated in the Civic Forum in 1989. He was a leader of the Velvet Revolution in the same year which, with great popular support, succeeded in peacefully overthrowing the regime and ushering in a democracy in which he was elected president. 

This presidency was markedly pro-European. The social consequences of the fall of the previous government were costly for today’s Slovakia, leading to a strong nationalism that led to its independence in 1992. Although Havel resigned when he disagreed with this separation, he was elected president by its parliament in 1993 where he promoted NATO membership for the Czech Republic and the other Warsaw Pact countries. He was elected again in 1998.

Members of the Jury

The meeting of the jury of the II International Prize Compostela Group-Xunta de Galicia International was presided over by the President of the Xunta de Galicia, Manuel Fraga. The following authorities are also members of the jury: 

  • The President of the Compostela Group of Universities, Marc Richelle, from Liege University (Belgium). 
  • The Rector of the University of Bergen (Norway), Bernt Jan Fridthjof. 
  • The Rector of the Public University of Navarra, Antonio Pérez Prados.
  • The President of the University of Bourgogne: Jocelyne Perard. 
  • The Regional Minister of Education and University Coordination, Celso Currás. 
  • The Regional Minister of Culture, Social Communication and Tourism, Xesús Pérez Varela. 
  • The General Director of Universities of the Xunta de Galicia, José Eduardo López Pereira. 

The executive secretary of the Compostela Group of Universities, Álvaro de Mingo, served as secretary to the jury. 

Awarded for defending democracy and being a key figure at a difficult time of transition in European culture.

1997

Jacques Santer was awarded with the I International Prize Grupo Compostela-Xunta de Galicia

The members of the jury of the I International Prize Grupo Compostela-Xunta de Galicia decided to award the prize to Jacques Santer for his vision of the construction of Europe, from the Robert Schumann and Jean Monnet foundations, to the point of gaining the confidence of the European states at such a difficult and critical stage. 

The ceremony took place during the III General Assembly of the Compostela Group of Universities, which this year was hosted by the University of Liège, Belgium. 

Jacques Santer

Jacques Santer was born in Wasserbilling, in the frontier between Germany and Luxembourg but also very near France on the 18 May 1937. He had to learn, as all Luxembourg children, French and German since primary school. His mother tongue is, however, the letzeburger, a language derived from German but with some French terms. Afterwards, he will broaden his linguistic knowledge by learning English. 

He studies law in the University of Strasbourg and finishes his doctorate in Paris, where he also studies Political Sciences. His professional career starts as an assistant at the prestigious lawyer’s office of Tony Biever in Luxembourg. At the same time, he joins the Catholic Youth Movement of his country. His firs political post is that of Parliamentary Secretary of the Social Christian Party. The following year, in Israel, he meets a French woman, a university assistant, Daniele Binot, whom he marries. They have two children, Patric y Jerôme. After his marriage, he begins to work at the Cabinet of the Minister for Labour and Social Security, in 1967. State Secretary for Cultural and Social Issues; General Secretary of the Social Christian Party and afterwards, President of the same party; Member of the European Parliament and Vice-president of the same institution; Minister for Public Finance, Labour and Social Security. In 1984, he takes up the position of Head of the Luxembourg government, a government of coalition of christians, democrats and socialists. He will resign from this post in order to become President of the European executive. While being in this post, he presided two of the European Councils more relevant in the development of the European Union: the approval of the Single European Act and the Treaty of the Union. 

Members of the Jury

The meeting of the jury of the I International Prize Compostela Group-Xunta de Galicia was presided over by the President of the Xunta de Galicia, Manuel Fraga. The following authorities are also members of the jury: 

  • The president of the Compostela Group of Universities, Marc Richelle, from the University of Liège (Belgium).  
  • The Regional Minister of Education and University Planning of the Xunta de Galicia, Celso Currás.  
  • The Regional Minister of Culture and Social Communication of the Xunta de Galicia, Xesús Pérez Varela.  
  • The Director General of Universities of the Xunta de Galicia, José Manuel Touriñán López.  
  • The Rector of the University of Westminster (United Kingdom), Geoffrey Copland.  
  • The Rector of the University of Masaryk (Czech Republic), Eduard Schmidt.  
  • The Rector of the University of Nantes (France), Jacques-Henry Jayez. 

The executive secretary of the Compostela Group of Universities, Álvaro de Mingo, served as secretary to the jury. 

Photo Gallery

Awarded for his vision of the construction of Europe in a difficult and critical period.