Vari Caramés Wins Spain's 2026 National Photography Prize
The 2026 Premio Nacional de Fotografía, valued at €30,000, has been granted to Vari Caramés, a Galician photographer, by Spain's Ministry of Culture. The jury, which included prominent individuals such as Ángeles Albert, Jesús Carrillo Castillo, last year's recipient Carmela García, and critic Santiago Olmo García, commended Caramés for his significant contributions to artistic photography and the revitalization of Galician culture since the 1980s, emphasizing his distinct visual poetics. Caramés, born in Ferrol in 1953 and self-taught, resides in A Coruña. He began his exhibition career in 1980, showcasing his work in Spain, Portugal, and France. His 2022 retrospective at Sala Canal de Isabel II explored themes of memory and light. Previous honorees include Carmela García and Laia Abril.
Key facts
- Vari Caramés received the 2026 Premio Nacional de Fotografía from Spain's Ministry of Culture
- The award is endowed with €30,000
- The jury was chaired by Ángeles Albert and Jesús Carrillo Castillo
- Caramés was born in Ferrol in 1953 and is a self-taught photographer based in A Coruña
- He began exhibiting in A Coruña in 1980
- In 1986 he participated in the second Fotobienal Vigovisións in Vigo
- A 2022 retrospective at Sala Canal de Isabel II was divided into algo, nada and siempre
- He worked in black and white until 2000 before adopting color
Entities
Artists
- Vari Caramés
- Ángeles Albert
- Jesús Carrillo Castillo
- Carmela García
- Ane Abalde
- Santiago Olmo García
- Alicia Palacios Ferri
- Bernardo Riego Amézaga
- Juan María Rodríguez Caparrós
- Valentín Roma
- Nerea Ubieto
- Laia Abril
- Cristóbal Hara
- Pilar Aymerich
- Ana Teresa Ortega Aznar
- Montserrat Soto
- Leopoldo Pomés
- Santiago Olmo
- Alicia Palacios
- Bernardo Riego
- Ane Abalde Amezaga
- Valentín Roma Serrano
- Nerea Isabel Pérez García
Institutions
- Ministerio de Cultura
- Kutxa Fundazioa
- Universitat Politècnica de València
- Universidad Carlos III de Madrid
- Instituto de Cultura y Tecnología
- Centro Andaluz de la Fotografía
- Southampton University
- Sala Canal de Isabel II
- Fotobienal Vigovisións
- VEGAP
- masdearte
- Premio Nacional de Fotografía
- Instituto de Cultura y Tecnología de la Universidad Carlos III de Madrid
- Mujeres en las Artes Visuales
- Instituto de Cultura y Tecnología Universidad Carlos III de Madrid
- Winchester School of Art
- Revista de Arte - Logopress
Locations
- Ferrol
- Spain
- A Coruña
- Vigo
- Madrid
- Barcelona
- Donostia
- Almería
- Portugal
- France
- València
- Santiago de Compostela
- Galicia
- Santiago
- Valencia
- Winchester