Princess Leonor closes Girona awards for the first time, calling young winners her 'Inteligentes Naturales'

A ceremony of firsts

King Felipe VI broke with tradition at the Gran Teatre del Liceu on Tuesday evening, announcing that Princess Leonor would deliver the closing address at the Princess of Girona Awards for the first time. "Veo caras de sorpresa," the monarch joked before explaining the decision. "La Princesa Leonor cerrará ya desde hoy este acto con su mirada personal." The 20‑year‑old heir, wearing a white sequinned suit, then took the stage alone, marking a new stage in her institutional role as honorary president of the foundation that bears her title.

Progresar juntos es la única cosa que tiene sentido y es, además, un ejercicio de responsabilidad.

The 'Inteligentes Naturales' speech

Leonor opened with a confession. "No puedo esperar más: tengo que confesarlo de una vez. Ya sé que, en principio, no conviene que revele ciertos aspectos de mi intimidad, pero creo que ha llegado el momento de que hable de mis influencers favoritos." She then described them not as celebrities who measure their worth by social‑media metrics, but as people who "entrenan bacterias, se enamoran de problemas con la intención de solucionarlos, cuentan algo importante con talento y desde la oscuridad y la entraña, descubren exoplanetas … y normalizan la amabilidad." Declaring she would stop calling them influencers, the princess coined a new term: "Inteligentes Naturales."

Soy de las que piensa que el talento se descubre y se cultiva, se comprende y se cuida.

She urged the audience to "protejan el talento joven con el acompañamiento exacto, justo cuando es necesario" and, in a nod to technology, said the winners use artificial intelligence "con inteligencia y corazón."

The six awardees

The awards, delivered before roughly 2,000 guests including Catalan president Salvador Illa and Spanish minister Félix Bolaños, recognised six young people. In the social category, Hatim Azahri, founder of Joves Units del Poble‑sec, was honoured for turning adversity into community commitment. Born in Morocco and raised in Barcelona’s Poble Sec neighbourhood, Azahri recalled a primary‑school teacher, Conxita, who told him "eres muy inteligente" – a moment he credits with changing his path. He ended his speech with "¡viva la libertad de los pueblos oprimidos!", wearing a Palestine badge on his lapel. The arts prize went to Catalan filmmaker Gemma Blasco, who said she hopes "el cine pueda sacudir al mundo." Mexican astrophysicist Rafael Luque, who has helped discover over 220 exoplanets, received the research award and told the room "sin ciencia no hay futuro y aún queda un universo entero por descubrir." Biotechnologist Patricia Aymà (CreaEmpresa), Argentine entrepreneur Mercedes Bidart and researcher José Eduardo Méndez completed the list of winners.

Music and royal participation

The ceremony, hosted by journalist Cristina Pampín, ended with a duet by Luz Casal and Soleá Morente, who sang "Un nuevo día brillará." At Casal’s invitation, the audience joined in. Cameras captured King Felipe, Queen Letizia, Princess Leonor and Infanta Sofía singing and clapping along from the front row.

World Cup anticipation

Felipe VI had opened the evening with a sporting aside. "A ver si otro grupo de jóvenes españoles nos vuelve a dar otra alegría," he said, referring to the Spain‑France World Cup semi‑final later that night. After the gala, a giant screen was set up at the Maritime Museum so guests could watch the match, turning the talent celebration into a double showcase of Spanish youth.