On 10 September 2026, the Gobierno de Canarias presented the awards in the auditorium of the Jameos del Agua on Lanzarote. The recipients were IES El Tablero–Aguañac (Gran Canaria), the Asociación de Voluntarios en Emergencias y Rescate de Lanzarote (EMERLAN), the Federación de Entidades Canarias de Venezuela (FEDECANARIAS) and the lawyer and Honorary Consul of Spain based in San Antonio (Texas), Steve Alfonso Chiscano. The awards recognise educational integration, voluntary rescue and emergency assistance, links between Canarian communities abroad and the preservation of the diaspora’s historical memory.
The event coincided with the Día Canario de las Migraciones , observed annually on 10 September. It commemorates the sinking of the steamship Valbanera in 1919 and today represents the islands’ dual experience as a place of emigration and immigration. The ceremony also marked the conclusion of the third edition of the forum MIGRADMI, which was organised by the Regional Government’s Department of Social Affairs and, according to the government, brought together more than 300 participants in Lanzarote within two days.
The responsible minister, Candelaria Delgado (Social Affairs, Equality, Youth, Childhood and Families), emphasised empathy, humanity and responsibility as guiding principles of the Canarian migration policy in her address. Oswaldo Betancort, president of the Cabildo de Lanzarote, underlined the role of the islands as the European Union’s southern border and called for greater planning, funding and shared responsibility from Spain and Europe. The Director General for Emigration, José Téllez, highlighted FEDECANARIAS’s work in bringing together Canarian associations in Venezuela. Steve Alfonso Chiscano, Honorary Consul in San Antonio, was described as an “ambassador for the Canary Islands” who promotes gastronomy, identity and historical ties. Elisabet Santana, Director General for Social Services and Immigration, presented the awards as a fitting final chapter to a forum that put the neighbourhood at the centre as a place of integration.
The Distinciones Valbanera 2026 highlight two dimensions: the symbolic anchoring of a long history of emigration in collective memory, and recognition of concrete services for people reaching the Canary Islands via Atlantic routes. While the award winners exemplify educational work, rescue operations, diaspora networking and cultural outreach, it remains politically unclear how the greater involvement of the Spanish state and the European level called for by regional stakeholders will be implemented institutionally and financially. For the islands, the awards are also a signal to view migration as a cross-cutting issue involving education, social work, civil protection and international relations.
Editor: Mira Cadena (Article created with AI assistance).