Umberto Eco Prince of Asturias Award for Communication and Humanities 2000

The Jury for the Prince of Asturias Award for Communications and Humanities 2000, convened in Oviedo, comprising Adela Cortina, Ricardo Díez Hochleitner, Isabel Gómez Acebo, Javier Gómez Cuesta, Javier González Ferrari, Juan Luis Iglesias Prada, Jorge Lozano, Catalina Luca de Tena, Hans Meinke, Magdalena Mora, Beatriz de Moura, Ernesto Sáenz de Buruaga, Ricardo Senabre, Jesús de la Serna, Enrique Ybarra, chaired by Manuel Olivencia and with Román Suárez Blanco as secretary, unanimously agree to grant the Prince of Asturias Award for Communications and Humanities 2000 to Umberto Eco.

The Jury gave special consideration to the intellectual qualities of Professor Umberto Eco in the field of communication and humanities, where his works, which are recognised world-wide and are extremely influential, have fast become classics of contemporary thought. They also recognised the dual nature of his work, as an outstanding semiologist and a critical analyst in the mass media. The Jury also highlight Umberto Eco's commitment to ethics and his permanent concern for history and new forms of cultural expression.

Oviedo, 10th May 2000