The Evolution Awards and the Emiliano Aguirre Award recognise the scientific and institutional contributions linked to Atapuerca

The city of Burgos hosted on 1 December the ceremony awarding the VIII Evolution Awards and the 1st Emiliano Aguirre Award, in an event presided over by Her Majesty Queen Sofía at the Museum of Human Evolution. The awards distinguished key figures in the field of human evolution research, as well as institutions that have contributed to the development and projection of the Atapuerca Project.

In this edition, Eudald Carbonell, José María Bermúdez de Castro and Juan Luis Arsuaga received the Evolution Award for Scientific Career, in recognition of their fundamental contribution to the understanding of human evolution and to the scientific and social growth of the Atapuerca Project. The award corresponding to Bermúdez de Castro was collected by his daughter.

The Evolution Award for Human Values was granted to the president of the Regional Government of Castile and León, Alfonso Fernández Mañueco, in recognition of the long-standing institutional support for the project.

Regarding the new Emiliano Aguirre Award, created this year to commemorate the centenary of the birth of the pioneer of paleoanthropology in Spain, the honour went to the European Parliament. The institution’s president, Roberta Metsola, contributed a video message, while Ana María Andrés Marín, director of the European Parliament Office in Spain, collected the award.

The ceremony brought together members of the scientific community linked to Atapuerca, institutional representatives, and professionals from various research centres and universities. Among those attending was Dr Andreu Ollé, researcher at IPHES-CERCA and co-director of the Atapuerca Project, who took part in the event on behalf of the scientific team.

The event also highlighted the profoundly European character of the project and its scientific impact, exemplified by major discoveries such as the human fossil identified in 2022 at Sima del Elefante, known as “Pink”, the face of an adult belonging to a yet-uncategorised species, dated to more than 1.4 million years.

Consolidated awards in the landscape of human evolution research

The Evolution Awards, created in 2009, aim to recognise careers that advance the understanding of human evolution and to promote a more informed and science-oriented society. They include two main categories: Scientific Career and Human Values.

The Emiliano Aguirre Award, presented for the first time in 2025, honours the legacy of a leading figure in paleoanthropology and recognises individuals or institutions that exemplify excellence, plurality and commitment to scientific research.

Support for research and international projection

Within the Atapuerca Project, the event also highlighted the support programme aimed at strengthening the scientific career of its research team, from which 94 professionals have already benefited. This support complements the work in coordination, logistics, safety and communication carried out during the excavation campaign, mainly funded by the Regional Government of Castile and León.

The project also maintains national and international collaborations in archaeological and paleoanthropological research, with active initiatives in Senegal, the southern Caucasus, India, as well as in major sites in Spain such as the Cave of Altamira. These collaborations include scientific exchange programmes with research centres in Georgia, the United Kingdom and Argentina.