Pedro Miguel Etxenike is one of the winners of the first edition of the ‘Hitz - Palabra’ Awards

The president of DIPC, Pedro Miguel Etxenike, received one of the six awards of the first edition of ‘Hitz - Palabra’ Awards, created by Grupo Noticias in collaboration with Iberdrola, to recognise Basque people, projects or entities that embody values such as commitment, trust, entrepreneurship, universality, roots and effort.

The Basque physicist was honoured with the ‘Trust’ award during a ceremony held at the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao.

After receiving the award, Etxenike expressed his trust in the research and teaching community “to choose their own path, freely and without fear of making mistakes”, and thanked the Basque institutions for their permanent support to the advancement of knowledge and critical thinking.

He also stressed the importance of the Basque language, “which is the history of our people, and must be its future”. He added that “although laws to protect the Basque language are essential, they are not enough, it is necessary to keep alive the pride of being a Basque speaker and of belonging to Euskal Herria’.

The ‘Hitz - Palabra’ Awards were granted in six categories as follows:

‘Hitz - Palabra’ Award to Entrepreneurship
Hasier Larrea, founder & CEO of Ori, for his impressive career at MIT in Boston and his entrepreneurial spirit with the aim of improving people's quality of life through innovation in the design of spaces.

‘Hitz - Palabra’ Award to Universality
Inma Shara, conductor, for her professional career with the best orchestras and on the best stages in the world, with the universal language of music.

‘Hitz - Palabra’ Award to Trust
Pedro Miguel Etxenike, scientist specialising in solid state physics, for his passionate dedication to research, recognised by the most important international institutions, and his important work in the dissemination of science.

‘Hitz - Palabra’ Award to Effort
Juan Ignacio Vidarte, Director General of the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, for his tireless efforts to position the new Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, which opened 32 years ago, among the leading names in the international art scene.

‘Hitz - Palabra’ Award to Roots
Bittor Arginzoniz, chef at Asador Etxebarri, for his loyalty to the roots of Basque gastronomy and its products, with an honest and transparent cuisine from Atxondo, the very place where he was born.

‘Hitz - Palabra’ Award to Commitment
José Ángel Iribar, a reference in the world of football as an example of commitment to a project and a community, such as Athletic Club, to which he has remained loyal beyond his professional career as a footballer.