First Prize in the ENAIRE Foundation Photography Competition 2026 for the work Edith Bone.
• Roberto Aguirrezabala wins ENAIRE’s Foundation First Photography Prize
• Álvaro Laiz takes second prize and Lucía Gorostegui third
• The PHotoESPAÑA Special Mention goes to Pilar García Merino
• The winning and shortlisted photographs, together with the Special Mention, will go on show in a group exhibition opening on 25 June at the Naves de Gamazo Art Centre
ENAIRE Foundation has announced the winners of the 19th edition of its 2026 Photography Prize, one of Spain’s leading professional competitions and one of the country’s most prominent initiatives supporting contemporary photography.
Roberto Aguirrezabala has won ENAIRE’s Foundation First Photography Prize, while second prize goes to Álvaro Laiz and third to Lucía Gorostegui. The PHotoESPAÑA (PhE) Special Mention goes to Pilar García Merino.
The three prize-winning works and the 15 finalists, including the PHotoESPAÑA Special Mention, will be on display in the ENAIRE Foundation Photography Prize group exhibition, opening on 25 June at the Naves de Gamazo Art Centre in Santander, coinciding with the start of PHotoESPAÑA Santander 2026.
The exhibition will remain open to the public until 17 January 2027 and will run alongside Persona, an exhibition by Estela de Castro, further underlining ENAIRE’s Foundation commitment to supporting contemporary photography and promoting cultural projects with social value.
“At ENAIRE Foundation, we would like to thank all 469 artists who entered the Photography Prize. What stands out in this 19th edition is the conceptual depth of the works submitted, which reflects the thought, effort and artistic development behind each photograph. The artists have presented exceptional projects, closely connected to today’s world and exploring it through history, memory, dignity, and personal and collective identity. The importance of this competition lies in providing a space where artists can gain recognition for their work, their talent and the value they bring to society,” said Margarita Asuar, Managing Director of ENAIRE Foundation.
Second Prize in the ENAIRE Foundation Photography Competition 2026 for the work Atlántico I
Third Prize in the ENAIRE Foundation Photography Competition 2026 for Acopia
PhotoEspaña Special Mention at the 2026 ENAIRE Foundation Photography Prize for the work La belleza
19th edition of ENAIRE’s Foundation Photography Prize
This year’s edition attracted 469 professional artists, who submitted a total of 1,268 photographs. These figures confirm the Prize’s position as a platform for contemporary photographic creation and reinforce its standing within Spain’s cultural scene.
The 2026 call also saw a notable increase in international participation. A total of 38 artists of 20 foreign nationalities, resident in Spain or having held exhibition projects in the country over the last two years, entered this year’s edition, reflecting the Prize's diversity and international reach.
Following an initial assessment of the entries received, the jury selected 30 photographs to go through to the final stage of the competition.
At its meeting on 10 June, the jury then awarded the three prizes in the 19th edition of ENAIRE’s Foundation Photography Prize, as well as the PHotoESPAÑA Special Mention and the 14 finalist works that will form part of the group exhibition to be organised by ENAIRE Foundation in Santander.
The jury was composed of leading figures from the fields of photography, contemporary art, cultural management and exhibition curating:
José Manuel Ballester, photographer and painter, winner of the National Photography Prize in 2010 and ENAIRE’s Foundation 2023 Lifetime Achievement Award; Daniel Canogar, visual artist and member of the Royal Academy of Fine Arts of San Fernando since 2022; Semíramis González, Director of LABoral Centro de Arte y Creación Industrial in Gijón and independent curator; María Santoyo, Director of PHotoESPAÑA; and María Ortega, independent cultural manager and artist. The jury was chaired by the Secretary of State for Transport and Sustainable Mobility and Chairman of ENAIRE, José Antonio Santano, represented by ENAIRE Foundation Managing Director Margarita Asuar, while Ángeles Imaña, Director of Conservation and Cultural Projects at ENAIRE Foundation, served as secretary to the jury.
The jury praised the high standard of the entries, as well as the diversity of approaches, styles and themes represented in this year’s edition, reflecting the dynamism that characterises contemporary photography today.
Jury verdict of the 2026 Photography Prize
Following its deliberations, the jury of the 19th edition of ENAIRE’s Foundation Photography Prize has decided to award the following prizes:
• First Prize, worth €12,000: Roberto Aguirrezabala, for Edith Bone.
• Second Prize, worth €8,000: Álvaro Laiz, for Atlántico I.
• Third Prize, worth €5,000: Lucía Gorostegui, for Acopia.
• PHotoESPAÑA Special Mention: Pilar García Merino, for La belleza.
The 14 finalist photographs selected by the jury to form part of the group exhibition for the 19th edition of ENAIRE’s Foundation Photography Prize are as follows:
- Emilio Pemjean, for El país de los lotófagos 6. (Study of Pablo Picasso. 7 Rue des Grands-Augustins. París 1937.Transformado).
- Marina Bobo, for KISS_19.
- Andrés Gallego, for Miniatura.
- José Manuel Galindo, for Lignito 034.
- Ana Palacios, for El bosque fabuloso #01.
- José Ángel Arias, for Antrópicos III.
- Ana Garrido Santos, for Imagen no disponible.
- Pedro J. Saavedra, for 1_Transahariana: Arquitectura de ocupación.
- Manolo Espaliú, for Hamedan I.
- Virginia Villacisla, for Sin título (Serie Presencio & the Rural Kids).
- Lupe de la Vallina, for Sin título (Serie Amado/Adán).
- Susana Girón, for Vía Crucis.
- Lidiology, for 1 de cada 5.
- José Quintanilla, for 18# Giverny 2.Ø.3
The three prize-winning works will become part of the ENAIRE Collection of Contemporary Art, helping to build one of Spain’s most important public collections of contemporary art, noted in particular for its support for photography.
Since it was launched in 2005, ENAIRE’s Foundation Photography Prize has attracted 4,830 artists, who have submitted 10,949 photographs, consolidating its position as one of Spain’s leading competitions for contemporary photography.
Full information on ENAIRE’s Foundation Photography Prize can be found here.
About the ENAIRE Foundation
The ENAIRE Foundation, a cultural institution under the Ministry of Transport and Sustainable Mobility, manages, preserves and promotes the ENAIRE Contemporary Art Collection—a public cultural service connected with airport infrastructure.
It is the only foundation in Spain that brings together two seemingly disparate fields—art and aviation culture—and also runs an extensive programme of cultural activities on the ENAIRE Collection and aviation.
Since 2021, the ENAIRE Foundation has been running the Naves de Gamazo Arts Centre in Santander. The Centre is a model of institutional collaboration, involving the Ministry of Transport and Sustainable Mobility, the Port of Santander and the Government of Cantabria—the latter through its Regional Ministry of Culture, Sport and Tourism and its Regional Company for Education, Culture and Sport.
The ENAIRE Foundation uses innovative museum resources as part of its digital ecosystem, promoting wider access to art and aviation culture.
THE DIGITAL ECOSYSTEM IS ACCESSIBLE WORLDWIDE VIA THE FOUNDATION'S WEBSITE.