• These awards recognize innovative projects developed by women that contribute to social and economic revitalization in rural areas.
• Three prizes have been awarded for each of the four categories, each worth 18,000, 12,000 and 7,500 euros.
• The award ceremony will be held on October 15, International Day of Rural Women.

The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Food has awarded the Honorary Award of Excellence for Innovation for Rural Women to women cooperative members in the agri-food sector, in recognition of their collective work, the strengthening of their autonomy and participation in decision-making, and their role as a role model for society as a whole and for future generations.

In addition, the ministry has awarded this year's prizes in four categories, with three prizes per category, each worth €18,000, €12,000, and €7,500, respectively. This initiative reinforces the ministry's commitment to gender equality, young women's access to agricultural activity, and economic diversification as a tool to curb rural depopulation.

EXCELLENCE FOR INNOVATION IN AGRICULTURAL ACTIVITY
The first prize went to Villa Insect SL (Villamalea, Albacete) for its Protiberia project, an initiative for the sustainable production of protein from insects with a focus on the circular economy, digitalization, and environmental sustainability.

Pomoma Fruits SL , a family business located in Ivars d'Urgell (Lleida), won second place in this category. Its work focuses on organic fruit production using regenerative farming, biodynamic farming, and precision agriculture techniques.

Third prize goes to Ana Climent Ortiz for the Ca Climent project (La Granja de la Costera, Valencia), which aims to recover a traditional peanut variety in danger of extinction, in collaboration with universities, seed banks, and artists.

EXCELLENCE FOR INNOVATION IN FISHING OR AQUACULTURE ACTIVITY Inés Carballo Tomé, from Castell de Guadalest (Alicante) has won first prize for Aitana Espirulina for the initiative of sustainable cultivation and processing of spirulina, which combines production, training and guided tours.

The second prize goes to María Carmen Sánchez Sánchez, ( Galuriña , Esteiro, A Coruña) for her bakery products enriched with her own seaweed macerates.

The third prize went to Bermeoko Neskatila eta Saregin Autonomoen Elkartea, from Bermeo (Vizcaya), for immersive nautical tourism experiences that showcase the local fishing tradition.

EXCELLENCE FOR INNOVATION IN DIVERSIFICATION OF ECONOMIC ACTIVITY IN RURAL AREAS
The first prize went to Onconature , from Órgiva (Granada), a pioneering integrative oncology center in Spain. Led by Julia Ruiz Vozmediano, the project offers evidence-based workshops held in rural areas.

Melida Wines , a cross-cutting project by two winemaking sisters, Silvia and Miriam Herrera Redondo from Mélida (Valladolid), won the second award. It integrates winery, gastronomy, and tourism, allowing the public to make their own wine with professional advice.

The third prize in this category goes to the Els Corremarges cooperative, from Passanant i Belltall (Tarragona), dedicated to the recovery of popular knowledge about vegetation and ethnobotany in a village of six inhabitants.

EXCELLENCE IN COMMUNICATION
The first prize goes to Pueblos en Arte , from Torralba de Ribota (Zaragoza), an association that revitalizes rural spaces through art and culture, with the podcast Una habitación con vistas .

The second prize goes to Marta Belda Blanco for Dèmeter. Woman, Land and Life , a book that compiles the experiences of 33 women in the agri-food sector in Almería.

The third prize goes to María Julián Prados for the documentary El legado de las pastoras (The Legacy of the Shepherdesses ), which chronicles the lives of shepherdesses in the Valle Bajo del Lozoya (Madrid) during the post-war period and promotes generational renewal.

The award ceremony will take place on October 15, International Day of Rural Women. The award document is available at this link .