Malaga honours its 'favourite sons and daughters' at splendid ceremony in Teatro Cervantes

The presenters, journalists Jorge Gallardo and Celia Bermejo, paid tribute to Malaga's Generation of '27, who dubbed it "paradise city"

Before the gala began, Mayor Francisco de la Torre told Canal Málaga that the aim of these awards is "to encourage and recognise that many people work hard to make Malaga an incredible city".

One of the winners, Malaga CF club manager Juanfran Funes, couldn't attend the event, because his team was playing a match at the Rosaleda stadium. Nonetheless, he addressed the audience via a video message.

"My thanks go to the fans and the club, but above all to our players, who have made it possible for us to be in the top flight," he said, before his wife collected the award.

In the innovation and technology category, the award went to Aganova, a Malaga-based company specialising in technological solutions and the integrated water cycle.

Accepting the award, founder Agustín Ramírez recalled his early days as an employee at Emasa (the municipal water company) and explained that this award symbolises that technology has a place in Malaga, that it can reach the whole world and that the future can be built from here.

In the tourism category, the award went to Gran Hotel Miramar. Director Mariola Valladares said: "For us, the team at the Gran Hotel Miramar, receiving the City of Málaga award is a truly rewarding experience. Our building is celebrating its 100th anniversary, reflecting a city that looks out to the world," Valladares said.

"Malaga has successfully transformed itself and the Gran Hotel Miramar has had the opportunity to rediscover its essence. Malaga and the hotel have long spoken the same language: that of hospitality, of knowing how to welcome guests," she stated.

In the business category, the award went to Safamotor, one of Andalucía's leading business groups. Chief executive Alicia Serrano was particularly moved. In her acceptance speech, she made sure to acknowledge her family, remembering her late father, her husband and her colleagues.

"This project is built on talent," she said, thanking her team and the thousands of customers who have placed their trust in them over so many years.

In the solidarity category, the City of Málaga award went to Teléfono de la Esperanza. Its president, Juan Sánchez, stated that their service is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

"It is an honour, but also a huge responsibility," Sánchez said. Over the course of its 50-year history, Teléfono de la Esperanza has carried out 300,000 interventions over the phone, as well as via chat for younger generations.

"We would like to express our deepest gratitude to the many people who have dedicated the best of their lives to Teléfono de la Esperanza," he stated.

In the culture category, the award went to baritone Carlos Álvarez, who delivered one of the most original speeches of the evening.

In the education category, the Malaga medical association received a prize for its innovative 'Pantallas saludables' project, which aims to promote the emotional well-being of young people in an increasingly connected world.

President of the medical association Pedro Navarro welcomed the fact that the EU now intends to regulate screen use for children under 15, "which confirms the benefits of the initiative launched three years ago".

Finally, the Aula del Mar foundation and its co-founder, Juan Antonio López Jaime, accepted the award in the environmental sustainability category. López Jaime said that they had launched this project four years ago following the closure of the Aula del Mar and that since then they had undertaken more than 30 marine conservation and environmental education projects, involving 150 volunteers.

They hope to continue for many more years, raising environmental awareness along the coastline for the "good of Malaga, Andalucía, Spain and humanity".

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