“We are happy every year to see, meet, and recognize so many people who do communication well. People and institutions that strive to do things with height and excellence, that transmit with rigor and freshness what happens, or that allow people a creative break with values through music, advertising or cinema…” This is how Monsignor José Manuel Lorca Planes, bishop of Cartagena and president of the Episcopal Commission for Social Communications (CECS) expressed it at the ceremony for the ¡Bravo! Awards. 2023, which took place this Monday, at noon, at the headquarters of the Episcopal Conference of Spain (CEE), with the presence, in addition, of the apostolic nuncio in Spain, Monsignor Bernardito Auza and the archbishop of Mérida, Monsignor Celso Morga, among others.

Monsignor Lorca Planes highlighted that the winners are “from today and forever” united by this award, as it has recognized in them values that are essential in today’s world: values such as truth, which is an essential aspiration for the construction of a society free, like the care of creation, from this common house in which we all live; or as the hope in a youth capable of better carrying out our best projects; in values, such as service to family, that sustain us when things go wrong and drive us when things go well; or the care of the word that allows true and transformative communication.

Values that “allow us to think about a healthier, fairer, more responsible society” and that have inspired the creation of the ¡Bravo! Award, which has now reached its 54th edition. An award, as a CEE note explains, with which “the Church recognizes the meritorious work of all those communication professionals in the various media, who have distinguished themselves for their service to the dignity of man, human rights and evangelical values.”

The winners

Firstly, in the special category of the ¡Bravo! Awards, the winner was the Royal Spanish Academy (RAE) which, since its foundation 310 years ago, has the purpose of working in the service of the Spanish language and has dedicated itself to preserving — through activities, works and publications—the good use and unity of a language in permanent evolution and expansion. It was, precisely, the secretary general of the RAE, Pedro García Barreno, who, at the conclusion of the award ceremony, addressed a few words of gratitude on behalf of all the winners.

By category, the ¡Bravo! Press Award went to Ana Iris Simón for her articles in the press and her public interventions that make visible a way of life and a conception of society based on essential values, the Radio award for coverage of WYD Lisbon 2023 carried out by Ábside Media and its channels Cope, TRECE and cope.es; that of Television to Pedro Piqueras, who has had an extensive career in the world of television news; that of Digital Communication to Israel Remuiñán, for the podcast “Benedict XVI, the Pope of the Storm”; the Institutional Communication to Manuel Garrido, for his intense career; the Film award to the director of Santos Blanco, for his documentary “Free on the contemplative life”, the Music award to the La Música del Reciclaje Orchestra, the Advertising award to the ACdP campaign #QueNoTeLaCuelen in favor of family and maternity and the Diocesan Communication to Juan José Montes, delegate of the diocese of Mérida-Badajoz, example of a caring professional, careful with people and attentive with the media.