Five recipients of the Gold Medal of Honour

The Parlament de Catalunya has agreed to award its Medalla d'Honor en la categoria d'or to illustrator Pilarín Bayés and filmmaker Pere Portabella, alongside three organisations, for their contributions to Catalan culture, democratic memory, and civil society. The decision was made unanimously on Tuesday by the Mesa, the governing body of the chamber, and announced by Parliament President Josep Rull. The awards will be formally presented on 29 October at 6pm in a ceremony at the Parliament.

Cultural and historical recognition

The Parliament said the honours recognise the "determining role" of the recipients in advancing "commitment to Catalonia, knowledge of the territory, defence of freedoms, democratic memory, and preservation of Catalan identity and culture." Rull stated that the five honourees "tell the story of a country," adding: "Through their work, they have helped preserve who we are and build who we want to be; they inject us with collective self-esteem and pride, and are a lasting source of inspiration." He highlighted that all share a "will to serve Catalonia" and have helped make it "a nation more aware of its history, freer, and richer in culture."

  • Pilarín Bayés, one of the most recognised figures in contemporary Catalan illustration, has illustrated over 1,000 books across a career spanning more than 60 years.
  • Pere Portabella, a film director, producer and former politician, played a key role in Spain’s democratic transition and was a deputy in the first legislature after the Franco regime.
  • The Associació Catalana de Persones Ex-preses Polítiques del Franquisme is honoured for 50 years of work recovering democratic memory, supporting political prisoners, and advocating for justice and reparations.
  • The Associació Pro-Memòria als Immolats per la Llibertat a Catalunya is recognised for its efforts in dignifying the Fossar de la Pedrera and recovering the memory of those executed under Franco.
  • The Centre Excursionista de Catalunya, celebrating 150 years, is acknowledged for promoting knowledge of Catalan territory through hiking, science, culture, and language.
Through their work, they have helped preserve who we are and build who we want to be; they inject us with collective self-esteem and pride, and are a lasting source of inspiration.

Annual recognition with renewed format

Since 2000, the Medalla d'Honor has been awarded annually. From last year, the ceremony has been separated from the Diada festivities to increase visibility, and the format now ensures at least one individual and one organisation are recognised each year. Last year’s recipients included the Federació d'Ateneus de Catalunya and AI expert Karina Gibert, with posthumous awards to activists Josep Gassó and Enric Morist. Residents and members of the public can attend the upcoming ceremony by checking availability via the Parlament's official events page.

Reported by lavanguardia.com, Regió 7, El 9 Nou, Parlament de Catalunya, ACN, parlament.cat, Departament d'Edicions del Parlament de Catalunya, elnacional.cat, Racó Català.