The courtyard of the Palace of the Marquises of Cadimo in Baza hosted the Dama de Baza Awards ceremony, an annual event organized by the Baza City Council to recognize cultural contributions. The ceremony, held on Thursday, July 23rd, coincided with the anniversary of the discovery of the Iberian sculpture that gives the awards their name. The mayor, Pedro J. Ramos, presided over the event with members of the government team and the municipal corporation. The delegate for Education of the Regional Government of Andalusia in office, Mª José Martín, was also present.
The gala, presented by Vanesa Mesas, featured musical performances by pianist Isaac Villalba and trumpeter Raúl González. The "José Salinas" Professional Music Conservatory of Baza received the Dama de Baza Award for Culture, in its twenty-seventh edition. The conservatory's outgoing director, Manuel Gómez, accepted the reproduction of the Dama from the mayor.
The jury highlighted the conservatory's trajectory, its roots in the city, and its constant contribution to the cultural, educational, and artistic growth of Baza and its region. Since its founding in 1991, the institution has evolved into a benchmark for musical training for several generations. The verdict emphasized its role as a cultural engine, promoting artistic sensitivity and bringing music closer to the public. Furthermore, it has enabled young people from the region to access professional musical education without having to travel, fostering equal opportunities.
Manuel Gómez, the conservatory's outgoing director, thanked the award on behalf of the entire educational community. The Baza City Council also presented him with a replica of the city's coat of arms in recognition of his leadership, a gesture echoed by the delegate for Education.
Meanwhile, writer, poet, and literary critic Manuel Vázquez Medel was honored with the IX International Poetry Prize "Dama de Baza". Visibly grateful, he accepted the award and praised the pacifist power of words. Vázquez Medel, a distinguished son of Huelva and a professor of Literature and Communication, was the first president of the Audiovisual Council of Andalusia and is associated with the University of Seville. The award recognizes works such as "Pájaro de la noche", "Remota luz", and "Mágico poder", and includes a thousand euros and the publication of his anthology.
The gala was also attended by members of the poetry prize jury, chaired by Pedro Enríquez, and including Perfecto Herrera, José Manuel Darro, Enrique Gracia, and Francisco Arias. Honorable Mentions were awarded to Gloria Nistal Rosique, Rafael Luna García, Stefania Di Leo, and Abdul Hadi Sadoun. The finalists were Ramón Martínez, Ivonne Sánchez, Francisco Álvarez-Koki, Alonso de Molina, and Sara Harb, some of whom read poems.
The ceremony, which opens the 2026 Dama Week, also included the presentation of awards for the "Dama de Baza" Photography contests. The Painting sections of the XXXV "Dama de Baza" Painting Contest were declared void due to a lack of minimum quality. In the XXXIX "Dama de Baza" Photography Contest, the first prize in the open theme category went to the photo "Castril" by Lucía Gámez Cañas, and in the Baza theme category to "Fuente monumento Cascamorras" by David Piqueras Aparicio. The photography jury comprised María José Cantero and Frank Tejada, sponsored by the Baza Photography Collective (COBAF).
