‘Today we are celebrating something more profound and transcendent: the pride of being from here, the pride of being from the Balearic Islands’, said the President.
In her speech, she stressed the need for fair funding ‘once and for all’ for the autonomous community.
The President of the Government of the Balearic Islands, Margalida Prohens, presented the Ramon Llull awards to the seventeen recipients of the 2025 awards, as well as the Gold Medal, the highest distinction of the Autonomous Community, which this year has been awarded to two people, María Luisa Cava de Llano and Rudy Fernández, whose commitment to the community Prohens highlighted.
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President Prohens presents the Ramon Llull Awards and the Gold Medal of the Balearic Islands 2025
In the case of María Luisa Cava de Llano, the aim was to recognise a lifetime dedicated to public service, highlighting her work as an ombudsman. ‘She is a calm and serene voice, more necessary than ever today in the defence of common sense, freedom and respect for democracy and the rule of law’, said the President. Rudy Fernández was praised for his brilliant career as a professional sportsman, who is now a legend of the sport, a reference point for basketball in Spain, an NBA player and a sportsman who has participated in the Olympic Games on most occasions (six).
The President of the Government also acknowledged the work of the seventeen winners of the Ramon Llull Prize for their contribution to the Balearic Islands. Nil Riudavets, Spanish paratriathlete and Paralympic medallist was in charge of saying a few words on behalf of all of them and acknowledged the work of the other award winners.
‘We have not arrived here alone. Behind each of our careers, there is a team of people who have accompanied and supported us unconditionally. Our families, who have been our refuge and our strength; our friends, who have celebrated every victory and have lifted us in every fall. Our companions on the road or in our profession,’ he said.
This year the Ramon Llull Prize was awarded to Anna Ferrer, co-founder of the Vicente Ferrer Foundation; to Asun Gallardo, headmistress of the Gabriel Vallseca Primary School in Son Gotleu; to the Obra Salesiana de Ciutadella; to the AMADIBA organisation; to Doctor Dora Romaguera; to Joan Rallo, an expert in Balearic agricultural culture; the Formentera Fishermen’s Guild; designer Tony Bonet; the Mallorca School of Music and Dance; the Piñero Group; actress Victoria Luengo; Agustín El Casta; sportsmen Nil Riudavets and Joan Munar, and the Balearic contingent displaced to the areas affected by the hurricane in the neighbouring and sister Community of Valencia.
Two Ramon Llull awards were also presented posthumously: to Rafael Perera, a leading figure in law in the Balearic Islands, and to Dr. Bartolomé Beltrán.
In this year’s 2025 edition, the emphasis of the gala and of the Day of the Balearic Islands was on pride. ‘It is precisely with this pride, with this love for our land and for what we are, that we will never bow our heads to anyone,’ said the President.
‘We will continue to defend and claim that we cannot pretend to be content with the crumbs of others, playing with numbers and making others pay for gifts with the sweat and effort of our citizens. And even less so while we do not get to the root of the problem, which is the need for fair financing once and for all for this autonomous community, she reaffirmed.
The President also paid tribute to Gabriel Escarrer Julià and Francesc Antich i Oliver, both of whom were awarded the Community’s Gold Medal.
The institutional ceremony for the Day of the Balearic Islands, which was attended by almost 750 people, featured performances by Tomeu Penya, Simó Orfila and the Mallorca School of Music and Dance, the latter of which was awarded a Ramon Llull 2025 prize.
This year, the prize-giving ceremony was the most accessible in history, as deaf people were able to follow it with simultaneous subtitles and sign language interpretation.