The founding charter of the Princess of Asturias Foundation –in its origins, the Prince of Asturias Foundation– was signed on 24th September 1980 at a ceremony held at the Reconquista Hotel, in Oviedo, in the presence of the then Prince of Asturias, now King Felipe VI, who was accompanied by his parents, Their Majesties King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofía.
The signatories of the charter were the journalist Graciano García –promoter of the project– and the businessman Pedro Masaveu Peterson –first president and patron of the institution–, together with a group of distinguished Asturians: Adolfo Barthe Aza, José Ramón Fernández Cuevas, José María Muñoz Martínez-Planas, Ignacio Herrero Garralda, Marquis of Aledo, Román Suárez Blanco, Plácido Arango Arias, Teodoro López-Cuesta Egocheaga, Rafael Luis Fernández Álvarez, Agustín José Antuña Alonso, José Ramón Álvarez Rendueles, Emilio Alarcos Llorach, José López-Muñiz González-Madroño, José Antonio Martínez Álvarez, Juan Cueto Alas and Santiago Rubio Sañudo.
His Majesty King Felipe VI was Honorary President of the Foundation since its creation in 1980 until his proclamation as King of Spain on 19th June 2014, following which Her Royal Highness Leonor de Borbón y Ortiz, Princess of Asturias, became the institution’s Honorary President. One of the Foundation’s primary goals is to consolidate the existing links between the Principality of Asturias and the title traditionally held by the heirs to the Crown of Spain.
The Foundation’s main activity is the granting and presenting of the Princess of Asturias Awards. This comprises a complex process spread over the entire year in accordance with predetermined work cycles. Once the Awards Ceremony concludes at the end of October, the next edition is launched with the announcement of the Call for Nominations. A process of reception, selection and documentation of nominations then commences that will eventually be presented to the Juries for their deliberation and assessment at their meetings, normally held during May and June. This process culminates in the Awards Ceremony, together with its extensive programme of cultural activities, known as “Awards Week”, whose purpose is to make the work and careers of the Laureates better known to society at large.
Since 1990, the Foundation has also been granting the Exemplary Town of Asturias Award, aimed at recognizing the work of villages, scenic areas or groups of people in the Principality of Asturias in defending their environment and heritage. This award is presented by Their Majesties The King and Queen of Spain and Their Royal Highnesses The Princess of Asturias and Infanta Sofía of Spain the day after the Princess of Asturias Awards Ceremony.
The Foundation also has a Music Department, set up in 1993, that is responsible for managing its musical activities. In 2015, the Foundation launched a cultural project aimed at the educational community of the Principality of Asturias entitled “Taking the Floor” whose aim is to bring the careers and work of the Laureates into the classroom. As part of this programme, a delegation of the students –accompanied by their teachers– are able to show their work to the Laureates within the framework of the “Awards Week” activities.