A Great Honor for Studio Ghibli from Spain: Recipient of the Prestigious Princess of Asturias Award
Studio Ghibli, one of the most respected names in the world of animation, has added another great honor to its career full of achievements. Studio Ghibli was named the winner of the 2026 "Communication and Humanities" category of the Princess of Asturias Awards, which are considered the Spanish equivalent of the Nobel Prize and held annually in the city of Oviedo. The jury deemed the studio worthy of this award for "exceptionally transforming creativity into knowledge and communication" and for keeping the tradition of hand-drawn animation alive in the modern world.
The significance of this award is immense for the anime world, as Studio Ghibli holds the title of being the first animation studio to receive an award in this category. The jury, chaired by Miguel Falomir Faus, stated that the studio's films have built a "cultural bridge" that transcends generations and borders. In the official statement, it was particularly emphasized that Ghibli productions champion universal human values such as love for nature, peace, empathy, and strong female characters. The jury also praised the studio for making moments of silence and contemplation an indispensable part of its storytelling.
The year 2026 is proving to be a shower of awards for Studio Ghibli. In recent months, the studio won its second Oscar with the Hayao Miyazaki film The Boy and the Heron, and shortly thereafter, it became the recipient of the Honorary Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival, awarded to an institution for the first time in history. Founded in 1985 by Hayao Miyazaki, Isao Takahata, and Toshio Suzuki, the studio has produced masterpieces such as Spirited Away and My Neighbor Totoro in its nearly 40-year history.
