The 26th Ràdio Associació Awards pay tribute to radio careers, the careful use of language, and the creation of high-quality audio productions at a time when Catalan-language radio is enjoying strong leadership. Highlights include the Honorary Mentions awarded to Jordi Basté, the SignarIA project, Carlos Losada and Pilar Sampietro, as well as the recognition given to La 2Cat. Also recognized were the Best Radio Program Award for La Renaixença, from Catalunya Ràdio, and the Best Professional Award, presented to Xavi Bundó, host of Via Lliure.

2026 JURY REPORT

For the second consecutive year, the Ràdio Associació Awards have reached a record level of participation, with 136 submissions, undoubtedly helped by the introduction of the new podcast category. The winners are announced in two stages. Today, the winners of the non-competitive categories are revealed, and the names of the finalists are announced in the categories where entries compete against one another. The exception is the Best Radio Program Award, for which the jury decided to determine the winner directly, without finalists: La Renaixença from Catalunya Ràdio.

In the non-competitive categories, the winners are as follows:

The BEST PROFESSIONAL AWARD was presented to XAVI BUNDÓ i BUIL, a journalist who developed his career in local radio in Matadepera and Sabadell and belongs to a new generation of Catalan-language radio professionals, for leading “Via Lliure,” one of RAC1’s longest-running programs, to the top of the weekend ratings through a successful combination of current affairs, analysis, and humor.

In the HONORARY MENTIONS category, the jury, on its own initiative and at the proposal of the Governing Council of Ràdio Associació de Catalunya, agreed to grant the following distinctions:

• SignàrIA Project, from Pompeu Fabra University and Sorensen AI, a proposal that facilitates the participation of deaf people in radio environments through the generation of a synthetic voice, without requiring them to give up their own language, Catalan Sign Language.

• CARLOS LOSADA ORTEGA, journalist and director of the program “Converses” on Cope Catalunya i Andorra for 23 years, recognized for a radio career that also includes his work at Radio Minuto and Ràdio Girona-Cadena SER.

• PILAR SAMPIETRO COLOM, journalist, recognized for a 42-year career linked to RTVE, specializing in ecology and culture, offering soundscapes and biodiversity-related content, particularly through the programs “Mediterraneo” on Ràdio 3 and “Vida Verda” and “Emergència Climàtica” on Ràdio 4, which celebrates its 50th anniversary this year.

• JORDI BASTÉ i DURAN, journalist, recognized for his extraordinary 50-year radio career, which began at age 10 on Ràdio Joventut, continued through Catalunya Ràdio, and led him to become the undisputed leader of Catalan-language radio with the program “El Món” on RAC1, while maintaining his approachable and straightforward style.

The audiovisual “1924” AWARD was presented to La 2Cat, an RTVE channel, a project launched last October from the Sant Cugat Production Center with the primary objective of promoting the Catalan language and strengthening its presence in the audiovisual sector.

In the BEST RADIO PROGRAM AWARD category, the jury identified a clear winner among the submitted entries and therefore did not nominate finalists, instead directly proclaiming the winner:

• La Renaixença, from Catalunya Ràdio, for an outstanding multimedia production (Catalunya Ràdio, 3Cat and Canal 33) distinguished by its technical and audio quality, live music using local instruments, a well-balanced group of contributors, and an immersive audience experience through the use of headphones.

The remaining winners will not be revealed for another month, but the jury has announced the names of the finalists, which in alphabetical order are as follows:

For the INNOVATION AWARD, there are three finalists:

• La barrera del so, from Ràdio 4, which presents a new and innovative way of engaging with sound and explores the barriers yet to be broken in the fields of music and audio, offering listeners a new way of listening.

• La cinta de Möbius, from Catalunya Música, a unique educational program that combines music and mathematics and explores the connections between the two disciplines through conversations with musical artists and mathematical craft challenges.

• Rapsodia Bohèmia, from Catalunya Ràdio, which marks the 50th anniversary of the release of Queen’s song by exploring the life of its singer while presenter-narrator Bernat Soler takes on the personal challenge of learning to sing it.

In the INCLUSION AWARD category, there are two finalists:

• International Mother Language Day Special, from Ràdio Santa Perpètua, in Santa Perpètua de la Mogoda, a special project that promotes awareness of diversity through the reading of stories in the native languages of newly arrived young people.

• La roda gitana, from Catalunya Ràdio, which aims to make Romani culture more visible and break down existing stereotypes, with a special effort to highlight the connections between Romani and non-Romani cultures.

One of this year’s innovations was the introduction of a new category: the BEST PODCAST AWARD. There are two finalists:

• Escolta Poblet, from Ràdio 4, a carefully crafted audio production that takes listeners into the heart of the Poblet Monastery while presenting the life of the Cistercian community and, through testimonies from personalities in other areas of daily life, successfully intertwines the contemporary world with history.

• Sense filtres, from RAC1, a podcast that places mental health at the center through courageous conversations with public figures that break down prejudices and help increase understanding and normalize various disorders in a natural way.

Finally, in the BEST LOCAL RADIO PROGRAM AWARD category, the finalists are:

• Aquella nit al Tiffany’s, from Ràdio Capital de l’Empordà, based in Pals, an excellent example of recovering local historical memory through a carefully crafted audio fiction series based on real events surrounding an attempted attack on a nightclub in Platja d’Aro during the Franco regime.

• Special News Coverage of the Power Outage, from Ona Codinenca, based in Sant Feliu de Codines, which demonstrates the essential role of a local radio station during an exceptional event such as the power outage of April 28, 2025, covered through a multimedia approach while maintaining its public-service mission.

• Les sis de Ravensbrück, from EMUN—a consortium formed by the radio stations of Almenar, Alfarràs, Alguaire, Albesa and Torrefarrera—a documentary audio series that revisits, in an exemplary and contemporary way, the lives of six women from Lleida who were deported to the Nazi concentration camp of Ravensbrück.

The winners of these last four categories will be announced during the 26th Ràdio Associació Awards Gala, which will take place on May 21 at La Paloma in Barcelona, hosted by Joan M. Pou and Albert Om. The event can be followed live through the Ràdio Associació website and on La Xarxa+.

It should be noted that the jury is composed of Esteve Giralt, Rosa Badia, Montse Bonet, Sergi Mas, Santi Carreras, and Neus Bonet, who serves as president.