2025 edition

The 36th edition of the “Pica d’Estats” International Tourist Awards, organised by the Patronat de Turisme of the Diputació de Lleida and the Catalonia Journalists’ Association, received a total of 112 reports, of which 70 corresponded to state-level works, 24 to international works and another 18 to local media.

• The award for best journalistic report went to the 7-part series “25 anys de Carros de Foc”, published by the journalist Rosa Maria Bosch in La Vanguardia between 3 and 9 August 2025. The journalist recounts her personal experience of walking this circular route that links the 9 mountain huts of the Aigüestortes i Estany de Sant Maurici National Park, in which she interweaves anecdotes with descriptions of the people and landscapes she encountered.
• The award for best journal article went to “Els pigments secrets del romànic català”, by Àlex Milian, published in the magazine El Temps in March 2025. With input from acknowledged experts, the article explains in considerable detail the pictorial techniques used by Romanesque mural painters, especially in the churches of the Vall de Boí, declared a World Heritage Site.
• The award for best photographic report went to “L’alta Noguera Pallaresa, els 30 quilòmetres de riu més ben conservats de Catalunya”, a work by Òscar Rodbag published in the magazine Descobrir Catalunya in April 2025. The photo report focuses on the landscapes, monuments, traditional and active tourism activities and tourist facilities that can be enjoyed along this stretch of river.
• The award for best radio broadcast went to the report “La luz que nos da el agua: la central de Camarasa”, by Joana Sendra and Luis Jover, broadcast on 11 September 2025 by RNE. The report tells the story of this water power infrastructure and its impact on the region through the testimony of plant engineers, historians and local residents, and also highlights amenities and activities organised around water infrastructure heritage.
• The award for best audiovisual work went to “Beatus Ille-Àreu”, broadcast by La 2 on 16 November 2024 about the Milla Vertical d’Àreu. With spectacular aerial and terrestrial images and testimonies from participants, organisers and residents of Àreu, the report also describes the life of the inhabitants of this small town in El Pallars Sobirà.
• The award for best transmedia work went to “Territori Menut – Val d’Aran, Solsona i Cerdanya”, a creation by Cristina Torra for Descobrir Catalunya. Targeting children and families and channelled through the magazine and Instagram stories, the project focuses on the winter activities that can be practised in these three locations and presents proposals featuring history, art and nature.
• The award for best international press article went to “The Pyrenees of Catalonia Winter in the Realm of Royalty”, by Marco Barneveld, published in the Netherlands-based magazine WideOyster. Accompanied by a wealth of photographs, the report offered a comprehensive review of the Val d’Aran’s attractions, covering all areas from history, landscape and nature to winter sports, gastronomy and spas, with an added reference to the Boí Taüll ski resort, in L’Alta Ribagorça.
• Finally, the jury gave the award for best work published in local media to “El Pirineu que emociona”, by Albert de Gràcia for MeteoPirineus. This is a multi-format project structured in 3 blocks of short features: discovering the Lleida Pyrenees, Lleida’s ski resorts and climate, and safety in the mountains.