Badajoz announces the Nativity Scene contest: up to 800 euros per living nativity scene

The Badajoz City Council has announced the 2026-2027 Christmas Nativity Scene contest through a decree by the mayor, Ignacio Gragera Barrera, signed on November 9, 2026. The summary of the call is published in the Official Gazette of the Province of Badajoz (BOP) No. 218, corresponding to Friday, November 13, 2026, under announcement number 4495/2026 and identification BDNS 941258. Interested entities may register until 2:30 p.m. on November 30, 2026.

The call is based on articles 17.3.b and 20.8.a of the General Subsidies Law 38/2003, of November 17, which requires the publication of a summary of the full text of the call, which can be consulted in the National Subsidies Database. The applicable regulatory bases are the General Subsidies Ordinance of the Badajoz City Council, published in BOP No. 21 on February 2, 2009.

The declared objective is to promote the creation of nativity scenes and maintain the tradition of their installation, encouraging the participation of collectives and educational centers. Nativity scenes installed in nursing homes and senior centers, neighborhood, cultural, and youth associations that are legally constituted and registered in the corresponding registry, religious collectives, and educational centers within the municipality of Badajoz may compete, with a maximum of one nativity scene per modality and entity.

Two modalities and four categories

Modality A is dedicated to the traditional nativity scene and Modality B to the living nativity scene. In both, a distinction is made between the group formed by nursing homes and senior centers, religious collectives, and neighborhood, cultural, and youth associations, on one hand, and the educational centers of Badajoz, on the other. Each of the four categories distributes three prizes:

• Traditional nativity scene, collectives and senior centers: 650, 350, and 250 euros.
• Traditional nativity scene, educational centers: 400, 300, and 200 euros.
• Living nativity scene, collectives and senior centers: 800, 650, and 500 euros.
• Living nativity scene, educational centers: 400, 300, and 200 euros.

The jury may also grant honorable mentions (accésits), which will be delivered with a diploma. The prizes will be accompanied by their corresponding diploma, and the winning centers will receive a trophy. The amounts are subject to legally established tax withholdings and are compatible with other subsidies, grants, income, or resources for the same purpose from public or private administrations or entities, national, from the European Union, or from international organizations.

Visits and performances between December 1 and 30

The evaluation calendar varies according to the modality and the type of participant:

• Traditional Nativity scene: the jury will visit the registered scenes between December 1 and 13, 2026, by prior appointment of date and time.
• Living Nativity scene by groups and senior centers: the performances will be evaluated between December 15 and 30, 2026.
• Living Nativity scene by educational centers: the performances will be evaluated between December 9 and 14, 2026.

Traditional Nativity scenes must be completely installed and available for visitation, while the living Nativity performances must take place under optimal conditions for their evaluation.

Registration at the Department of Culture

Participants must complete and sign the application in Annex I of the call, which includes a responsible declaration of compliance with the requirements to obtain beneficiary status and indicates the days and hours of opening to the public. The standardized form is available on the municipal website, www.aytobadajoz.es, and can be submitted through three channels:

• At the Department of Culture, Soto Mancera 8 street, Badajoz, from 09:00 to 14:00 hours, Monday to Friday, except holidays.
• By email at concejaliadecultura@aytobadajoz.es.
• Through the electronic registry of the Badajoz City Council.

The period opens the day after the publication of the summary in the BOP and closes at 14:30 hours on November 30, 2026; no late registrations will be accepted.

The call offers a stable framework of financial support for a widely extended Christmas tradition in the municipality and arrives with a calendar that requires quick decision-making: entities wishing to opt for the 800 euros of the first prize for the living Nativity or the 650 euros for the traditional Nativity have less than three weeks to formalize their application and finalize the setup.

Source: Official Gazette of the Province of Badajoz, no. 218, November 13, 2026, Local Administration, pages 2 to 4 (official reference: announcement 4495/2026, BDNS 941258).