Spain’s Queen Sofía visits the Basilica of Our Father Jesus of Medinaceli in Madrid, March 6, 2026.
Casa de S.M. el Rey
Casa de S.M. el Rey
Spain’s Queen Sofía will preside this weekend over the presentation of the Sophia Awards for Excellence at the Pérez Art Museum Miami (PAMM), where two couples will be honored: philanthropists and art collectors Jorge M. Pérez and Darlene Pérez, and entrepreneurs Frank and Haydée Rainieri.
Spain’s Royal Household said the awards are among the most distinguished recognitions linking the Spanish-speaking world and the United States.
The prize is awarded to an individual or organization that has contributed to the international appreciation of Spain and the Americas through the donation of time, expertise and “an innate wisdom in the areas of the sciences, the arts or the humanities.”
As the highest distinction granted by the Queen Sofía Spanish Institute, the Sophia Awards have recognized some of the most influential figures in the arts, culture, diplomacy, science and public life worldwide.
Past recipients include former President Bill Clinton; former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger; opera singer Plácido Domingo; actress Penélope Cruz; architect Norman Foster; pianist and composer Alicia de Larrocha; fashion designer Carolina Herrera; novelist Mario Vargas Llosa; singer-songwriter Gloria Estefan and her husband, Emilio Estefan; businessman Carlos Slim; chef José Andrés; and conductor Gustavo Dudamel.
The Spanish Royal Household said hosting this year’s ceremony in Miami — a city that connects the United States with Spain, Latin America and the Caribbean — highlights the region’s central role in this shared history and its growing importance as an international hub for culture.
Academic event
Queen Sofía will also preside over the academic event “Florida, Cuba, and the Caribbean in the American Revolution,” scheduled for Friday, March 20, at the Freedom Tower at Miami Dade College, a historic Miami landmark.
Inspired by Seville’s Giralda tower, the building later served as a refuge and processing center for Cuban immigrants arriving in the United States during the 20th century.
The program, which is free and open to the public, is one of the opening events of the 2026 activities of the America&Spain250 initiative, a multi-year project marking the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States and highlighting Spain’s contributions to the American Revolution.
The event is organized in collaboration with the Consulate General of Spain in Miami, Miami Dade College, Florida International University and Miami-Dade250.
The evening will begin with welcoming remarks by Madeline Pumariega, president of Miami Dade College, followed by presentations by three historians: Gonzalo M. Quintero Saravia; Jane Landers, the Gertrude Conaway Vanderbilt Professor of History at Vanderbilt University; and Richard L. Kagan, a professor of history at Johns Hopkins University.
el Nuevo Herald
Cubro temas de América Latina, judicial, negocios y locales relacionados con la comunidad latinoamericana. Gran parte de mi carrera la desarrollé en agencias internacionales de noticias. Mis trabajos de investigación han recibido premios de la FSNE y SPJ Sunshine State. Soy periodista venezolana.