Culture honors Clara Serrano and the mural paintings of Cardenete

The jury for the Castilla-La Mancha Cultural Merit Medals for the year 2025 has awarded its fifteen categories to creator Clara Serrano Esteban, the mural paintings of the church of Cardenete (Cuenca), the folkloric group la Abuela Santa Ana from Albacete, and the “Don Juan Manuel” Institute of Albacete Studies, among other awardees. The decision was adopted on October 16, 2026, and was made public by the Vice-Ministry of Culture and Sports through the Resolution of 10/21/2026, signed in Toledo by the vice-minister Carmen Teresa Olmedo Pedroche. The complete list is published in the Official Gazette of Castilla-La Mancha (DOCM) no. 206, of October 27, 2026, section III, with the official reference [2026/7713].

The medals were created by Order 83/2017, of April 26, of the Ministry of Education, Culture and Sports (DOCM no. 88, of May 8, 2017), whose article 6 establishes an annual call for applications via a resolution from the Vice-Ministry. Order 94/2025, of June 16, subsequently expanded the categories eligible for the call, and the competencies of the issuing body are established in Decree 108/2023, of July 25.

The guidelines for this year were approved by the Resolution of 09/14/2026 (DOCM no. 181, of September 21, 2026), which called for fifteen categories and added, on an extraordinary basis, a category linked to the commemoration of 50 years of democracy in Spain. That resolution also published the composition of the jury, chaired by minister Amador Pastor Noheda and composed of the five provincial delegates, six heads of service, and two representatives of the 2024 awardees, with Laura López Agudo as secretary with voice but no vote; the maximum deadline for resolution was set at six months from its publication.

The awardees, category by category

• Youth culture (under 35s): Clara Serrano Esteban.
• Rehabilitation and dissemination of material heritage: mural paintings of the church of Nuestra Señora de la Asunción de Cardenete (Cuenca).
• Conservation and dissemination of intangible heritage: la Abuela Santa Ana folklore group from Albacete.
• Cultural heritage research: Instituto de Estudios Albacetenses “Don Juan Manuel”.
• Visual arts: Beatriz Clemente and Daniel Ferrer.
• Digital art: Kike Aspano.
• Performing arts: Muestra Nacional de Teatro Espiga de Oro from Azuqueca de Henares (Guadalajara) and ADAE Alma Academia de Baile from Talavera de la Reina (Toledo).
• Cinema: Hugo de la Riva.
• Music: Joven Orquesta de Cuenca.
• Literary creation and publishing: Antonio Rubio Herrero.
• Promotion of reading: Reading club of the Guadalajara public library.
• Comics and graphic arts: Irene Márquez Condes.
• Patronage and promotion of culture: Grupo Chemo (Guadalajara).
• Inclusive cultural projects (cultural rights): Hospital and Home Educational Care Team (EAEHD) of the Hospital Universitario de Guadalajara.
• “Culture and Memory”: José García Ortega.

Two exceptions in comics and the stage

The call for entries allowed one or two candidacies per modality, and the jury has utilized this possibility in two categories. In visual arts, the recognition is shared between Beatriz Clemente and Daniel Ferrer, while in performing arts, it falls on two projects with different trajectories: the Muestra Nacional de Teatro Espiga de Oro from Azuqueca de Henares, with several decades of stage programming, and the ADAE Alma Academia de Baile from Talavera de la Reina.

The list of winners also combines research and heritage institutions with musical ensembles and reading clubs. The Joven Orquesta de Cuenca and the Reading club of the Guadalajara public library represent two poles of the regional cultural map: grassroots orchestral practice and the library network.

Heritage, patronage, and democratic memory

The bulk of the awards are concentrated on the protection and dissemination of heritage. The mural paintings of Cardenete and the Instituto de Estudios Albacetenses “Don Juan Manuel” cover two complementary fronts—the restoration of material assets and historical research—while the la Abuela Santa Ana group receives the intangible heritage medal.

The patronage category distinguishes Grupo Chemo (Guadalajara), and the cultural rights category recognizes the hospital team of the Hospital Universitario de Guadalajara, which maintains the educational and cultural activity of hospitalized minors. Added to this is the extraordinary category “Culture and Memory”, awarded to José García Ortega within the framework of the 50th anniversary of Spanish democracy.

The jury has also included a special mention for cultural merit for Teresa Ases and Carlos Iglesias, for the Alumbra Rural project.

Closing

With this ruling, the Ministry of Education, Culture, and Sports closes the cycle started in September and recognizes profiles ranging from youth creation to restored heritage, with representation from all provinces. The awardees join the list of cultural distinctions of the community, and two of them will become part of the jury for the next call, as provided for in Order 83/2017 by reserving two seats for the previous year’s winners.

Source: Official Gazette of Castilla-La Mancha (DOCM), no. 206, of October 27, 2026, section III, pp. 37680-37681 (official reference: 2026/7713).