The 'Carmen Conde' House of Culture in Majadahonda was the venue last Monday, May 4th, for the 2026 Francisco Umbral Columnism Awards for Young Writers. The competition, aimed at promoting creative journalistic writing, honored four local students.
Arai Capelli Larrosa, from I.E.S. Carlos Bousoño, secured the first prize for her work «Los extraños que me dieron la vida» (The Strangers Who Gave Me Life). The second prize was jointly awarded to Iñigo Arredondo (I.E.S. Margarita Salas) for «¿Hasta la muerte vamos a politizar?» (Will We Politicize Until Death?) and Jaime González Palazón (Colegio Las Reparadoras) for «¿Llegaremos a crear móviles para los fetos?» (Will We Create Phones for Fetuses?). The third award went to Adriana Rodríguez (I.E.S. Margarita Salas) for «El Pucela, porque a veces perder es ganar» (Pucela, Because Sometimes Losing is Winning).
These awards, organized by the Francisco Umbral Foundation in collaboration with the Majadahonda City Council, have been promoting writing among 1st and 2nd year high school students in the city's educational centers for over 15 years.
“"I love writing, I do it whenever I can and I'm good at it. I'm going to try to pursue it. It means it reaches people, that I like it and it reaches me too. I do it and enjoy the process. I recognize myself in it."
The winner, Arai Capelli, expressed her passion for writing, highlighting how her texts connect with readers and reflect her own worldview. The student mentioned that her inspiration for the award-winning piece came from a series about a mother-daughter relationship, aiming to counter the notion that teenagers no longer read.
The winning text, «Los extraños que me dieron la vida», was highlighted by the newspaper El Mundo for its evocative opening lines. The work explores family intimacy from an initial sense of strangeness that evolves into tenderness, reflecting on mutual understanding within the family unit.
During the ceremony, the president of the Umbral Foundation, María España Suárez, accompanied by journalists Manuel Llorente and Aurelio Fernández, presented the awards. The event also featured journalist Luis Alemany, from the Culture section of El Mundo, who delivered a lecture on the application of Artificial Intelligence in literature, addressing its ethical, legal, and creative implications.
Writing is the deepest way of reading life.
The words of Francisco Umbral served as the final inspiration for the young writers, encouraging them to continue their writing journey.
