The Galician regional government has honoured three young artists for their urban art. First prize in the competition Xuventude Crea went to Blanca Alejandra Cortijo from A Coruña for her project “Xabarín”. The results were announced on 14 November 2026 at the final in the Cidade da Cultura in Santiago de Compostela .
Second prize went to Antonio Blanco, also from A Coruña, for “Mentres outros dormen” – roughly “While others sleep” in English. Sergio Domínguez from Vigo came third with “Xabarín Lettering Club”. The announcement was made by the Xunta de Galicia, the government of the north-western Spanish region.
According to the regional government, Cortijo’s work explores the growing number of wild boar and the concerns they are causing in the region. “Xabarín” means wild boar in Galician. Blanco’s work portrays insomnia as a dreamlike journey in which reality, dreams and thoughts that prevent sleep merge.
Domínguez’s work references the Xabarín Club. He combines this reference with lettering in homage to Galicia, using a range of techniques. Lara Meneses, the regional government’s Director-General for Youth, was also present at the event. She described the competition as an opportunity for young people to take their first steps in Galicia’s cultural sector.
According to the regional government, Xuventude Crea aims to encourage creative work and help bring it to a wider audience. In addition to urban art, the programme includes photography, fashion, music, comics and video art, among other disciplines. According to the Xunta, almost 500 people registered for the competition’s 17th edition. This figure covers the competition as a whole, not just urban art.
The application period for 2026 ran from 1 to 30 September. In general, the call was open to non-professionals aged between 16 and 30 in 2026; exceptions applied in some categories. Under certain conditions, people living abroad with family ties to Galicia or a registered connection to the region could also apply.
The call provided for a first prize of 2,000 euros, a second prize of 1,500 euros and a third prize of 1,000 euros in each category.
Editor: Mira Cadena (Article created with AI assistance).