Jaime Martínez Llabrés, the Mayor of Palma and president of the Fundació Pilar i Joan Miró in Mallorca, presided over the ceremony for the 2026 Pilar Juncosa awards and scholarships on Friday. The event took place at the Auditori, a cultural venue dedicated to promoting the work and legacy of the renowned artist Joan Miró.
Also present were the first deputy mayor and councillor for Culture, Javier Bonet, and the general coordinator of Culture and Tourism, Fernando Gómez de la Cuesta. The ceremony was attended by Pedro Vidal, the regional secretary for Culture and Sports, and Maria Isabel Arnau, the island director of Heritage, alongside a wide representation from the Fundació's board and collaborating organisations.
Hosted by journalist Irene Sala, the event began with a speech from the Fundació's director, Antònia Maria Perelló, and featured a performance by the Ibizan musical group 'Animals marins'.
Following the guidelines of this year's call for applications, the ceremony awarded six scholarships and three prizes, with a total monetary allocation of €42,000. Of this amount, €14,000 was designated for scholarships and €28,000 for prizes.
The Beques de Formació als Tallers d’Obra Gràfica de Joan Miró were awarded to Mercedes Balle, Karolina Wysocka, Desirée Moreno, and Albert Ramírez Bonay, each receiving €2,000 along with free enrolment in the workshops. The Beques Pilar Juncosa for the family programme 'Mons Creatius' were awarded to Maria Antònia Aloy for her project 'Miró i els viatgers del temps' and Marina Uguet for 'Laboratori Miró', each receiving €3,000.
Additionally, the Premi Pilar Juncosa a la Innovació en Educació Artística, valued at €8,000, was awarded to Isidoro García Díaz for his project ‘Escuchar lo que la máquina no ve. Miró, arte sonoro y contranarrativas juveniles en la era de la inteligencia artificial’. José Carlos Martín García won the Premi Pilar Juncosa d’Investigació sobre Miró i el seu context artístic i cultural, also worth €8,000, for his project 'Escrito en la arena'. Lastly, the Premi Biennal Pilar Juncosa d’Edició was awarded to Raquel Martínez Sánchez for her work 'Registrar la luz', which received €12,000.
During his speech, Martínez Llabrés congratulated the recipients of the 2026 awards and scholarships and highlighted the significance of Pilar Juncosa Iglesias, a patron of the arts and wife of Joan Miró. Born in Palma in 1904, Pilar Juncosa established the awards and scholarships in 1993, two years before her passing, to support young talents. The mayor stated, “Our city owes gratitude and recognition to this admirable woman, who worked tirelessly to enhance the prospects of creators and provide them with the support they need.”
In this regard, the mayor emphasised that “the best tribute we can pay to the work and legacy left by both Pilar Juncosa and Joan Miró is to continue unconditionally supporting the Fundació, ensuring it becomes a cultural and artistic reference point, both within and beyond our island.”
