Svetlana Alexievich, Sergio Ramírez and Martin Baron awarded Ortega y Gasset Journalism Awards in special edition marking EL PAÍS’ 50th Anniversary

• Ceremony to be held in Barcelona on May 4

The Ortega y Gasset Journalism Awards—widely regarded as the most prestigious honors in Spanish-language journalism and presented annually by EL PAÍS—this year recognize the outstanding careers of Svetlana Alexievich, Sergio Ramírez and Martin Baron. The jury said it sought to honor professionals who embody “the values represented by these awards and shared by EL PAÍS journalists over the past 50 years: integrity, courage, ethics and professional excellence”. The awards will be presented at a special ceremony on May 4, commemorating the newspaper’s 50th anniversary.

Awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2015, Svetlana Alexievich (1948) is a Belarusian journalist and writer. Born in the Stanislav region—now Ivano-Frankivsk, Ukraine—she has spent more than four decades documenting the lives of citizens of the former Soviet Union and the countries that emerged after its collapse. Her polyphonic works, with particular attention to women’s voices, have reshaped narrative and documentary journalism, although it also forced her into exile. She is the author of works such as Voices from Chernobyl (1997), Zinky Boys (1989) and Secondhand Time: The Last of the Soviets (2013), among others.

The jury highlighted “her excellence in applying a method of work—oral history—which she has elevated to its highest form. Her major works are based on hundreds of interviews, carefully structured to reveal realities that the media often cannot reach. Behind this innovation lies a deep intellectual curiosity rooted in the rich tradition of Soviet and post-Soviet thought.”

Writer, journalist and lawyer Sergio Ramírez (1942, Masatepe, Nicaragua) is one of Latin America’s most prominent voices. He served as Vice President of Nicaragua from 1985 to 1990. Throughout his career, both in journalism and literature, he has remained committed to defending democracy and human rights, particularly in his native Nicaragua, from which he was forced into exile. Today, he is one of the most influential figures in contemporary Latin American literature. His works include Castigo Divino (1998), Margarita, está linda la mar (1988) and El caballo dorado (2023). He is the founder and director of Centroamérica Cuenta, one of the region’s leading literary festivals, and has received numerous distinctions, including the Cervantes Prize (2017) and the Alfaguara Novel Prize (1988). He has also been a columnist for EL PAÍS for more than 30 years, where he writes on Latin America, historical memory and cultural affairs.

The jury described Ramírez as “a moral reference who, as a journalist and columnist, has consistently demonstrated a deep commitment to human dignity. His work stands as a monument, built on deep humanist roots. His articles have been—and continue to be—a moral compass for millions of people across Latin America who aspire to freedom.”

Martin Baron (1954, Florida, USA) is one of the most influential journalists of our time. He served as executive editor of three of the United States’ leading newspapers: The Washington Post (2013–2021), The Boston Globe (2001–2012) and The Miami Herald (2000). Under his leadership, these news organizations won 18 Pulitzer Prizes, among other distinctions. His name is closely associated with landmark investigations such as the Spotlight inquiry (The Boston Globe, 2003), which exposed systemic sexual abuse within the Catholic Church in Boston and was later adapted into the Academy Award-winning film Spotlight. He is also the author of Collision of Power: Trump, Bezos, and The Washington Post (2023), in which he reflects on a turbulent period in modern journalism.

The jury defined Baron as “a great newspaper editor—arguably the finest of his generation—whose career is marked by extraordinary achievement. The quality and impact of his journalism are evident in historic investigations such as The Boston Globe’s coverage of clerical child sex abuse and in the return of The Washington Post to the forefront of global journalism under his leadership. He is also a widely respected and admired editor, both within and beyond the newsrooms he has led.”

The jury further noted that all three awardees “have distinguished themselves in journalism and literature while confronting powers that, in different ways, sought to suppress the truth.” They also share a commitment to “using journalism as a tool for the defense of human rights. They are three moral voices who have brought ordinary people’s stories to the fore and, through them, shed light on what is happening across the world. Three outstanding journalists who point the way forward for the profession.”

The jury for this edition was composed of PRISA Chair Joseph Oughourlian; PRISA Media CEO Pilar Gil; EL PAÍS Editor-in-Chief Jan Martínez Ahrens; Readers’ Editor Soledad Alcaide; Newsroom Committee representative Cecilia Castelló; and Javier Moreno, Curator for the 50th anniversary of EL PAÍS. Journalist Pedro Zuazua served as non-voting secretary to the jury.

The awards ceremony for this special edition of the Ortega y Gasset Journalism Awards will take place at the Museu Marítim de Barcelona on Monday, May 4, coinciding with the exact date marking five decades of the most widely read Spanish-language newspaper.

Established in 1984 in memory of philosopher José Ortega y Gasset, the EL PAÍS journalism awards celebrate the defense of freedom, independence, rigor and integrity as essential values of the profession.

Given the exceptional nature of this edition, the next awards—scheduled for 2027—will accept entries for journalistic work published in both 2025 and 2026.