Malaga announces winners of the Bandera de Andalucía awards

El Caminito del Rey, the '101 Kilometres' race organised by the Spanish Legion in Ronda, dancer José Manuel Benítez and businessman Manolo Rincón will receive four of the ten awards of the Bandera de Andalucía. The honours, which will mark the Día de Andalucía on 28 February, are being jointly awarded by the Junta in Malaga and the provincial authority with the aim of recognising people and enterprises that have positively contributed to raise the profile of the province and the region.

El Caminito del Rey celebrates two events this year: the 10th anniversary since its reopening and the award in the provincial projects category of this year's edition of the contest. The gorge walk tourist attraction has been visited by almost three million people and has generated an economic impact of 400 million euros over the past decade.

In the arts category, the Bandera de Andalucía has been awarded to José Manuel Benítez - known as 'Nino' among his friends - the principal dancer of the Ballet Nacional de España. Having joined the company two decades ago, he has established himself as one of the leading figures on the Spanish dancing scene.

The Andalusian flag for sport achievements has gone to the 101 Kilometres race event, which takes place in the Serranía de Ronda, organised by the Spanish Legion. Although it was first launched in 1995, the endurance event has not been held every year due to various international peace missions that have been assigned to members of the Tercio Alejandro Farnesio, IV of the Legion, over the years. In 2025, the event marks its twenty-fifth edition.

Businessman Manolo Rincón will receive the Bandera de Andalucía, which recognises the special career of people who have excelled in the defence and promotion of the general interest of the province. The businessman has been awarded for his work as the founder of one of the most important networks of health clinics in Andalucía. In addition, Rincón has also previously been at the forefront of politics in Vélez-Málaga, where he founded the independent group for the municipality of Torre del Mar (GIPMTM), and has been a patron of numerous grassroots sports teams, Paralympic sports and women's teams.

To mark the 120th anniversary since the foundation of Asociación Prensa de Málaga - one of the oldest press associations in Spain - Bandera de Andalucía will give the award for social sciences and letters to Elena Blanco, APM president. The association brings together 310 journalists.

In the solidarity and concord category, the award has gone to the Brazadas Solidarias association - an initiative promoted by Christian Jongeneel, which has managed to get thousands of swimmers to jump in the water for a common cause: solidarity. Together with the Vicente Ferrer Foundation, the association promotes dozens of swimming activities to raise funds to help children in the most vulnerable areas of Nepal.

The federation of fishermen's guilds of Malaga, which celebrates a century of history, will receive the flag for economy and business, while computer scientist Carlos Huesa Berral has been distinguished in the research,science and health category for his work in developing new computational models that allow a better and more effective treatment of liver cancer.

The Bandera de Andalucía for environmental merit went to the Laguna de Fuente de Piedra nature reserve - the largest in Andalucía, with its 1,400 hectares and a unique enclave within the wetlands of the western Mediterranean. This year, the reserve is celebrating its 40th anniversary as a protected natural area. The distinction in the category of human values has gone to EDAU Equito for their dedication to supporting people with Autism Spectrum Disorder in Antequera.

The awards were announced by Patricia Navarro, the Junta's delegate in Malaga, and Fancisco Salado, president of the provincial authority, on Tuesday 18 February. The recognised individuals and companies will receive the awards in the Diputación's Edgar Neville auditorium on Friday 21 February.

Navarro stated that this year's award winners provide "examples of courage, solidarity, talent, innovation and hard work". "These are undoubtedly qualities that define them, but which also differentiate each and every one of us as people of Malaga," she said.

Salado described the unification of the 'M de Málaga' and the Bandera de Andalucía awards as a "wise move", which endorses the recognition of "the personalities who have made Malaga more prosperous, more supportive and who have contributed to what is now the province of Malaga, a leader in all areas of growth, not only in Andalucía, but in Spain as a whole".