Llanes Fishermen's Guild Receives the 2026 Exemplary Village of Asturias Award

The Spanish royal family closed its annual stay in Asturias on Saturday, 24 October, with a visit to the seaside town of Llanes. King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia, joined by Crown Princess Leonor and Infanta Sofía, presented the 2026 Exemplary Village of Asturias Award to the Cofradía de Pescadores Santa Ana, the town's historic fishermen's guild.

It was an unusual choice. The award, known in Spanish as the Premio al Pueblo Ejemplar de Asturias, normally goes to a village or parish. This year the Princess of Asturias Foundation chose a guild whose story stretches back more than six centuries.

A guild with medieval roots

According to RTVE, the guild traces its origins to the Cofradía de Mareantes de San Nicolás, one of the oldest seafaring guilds in Asturias, formed around 1350. For centuries it organised the fishermen of Llanes and played a major role in the local economy, including whaling between the 14th and 17th centuries.

The guild also cared for its own. It helped the sick, widows, orphans, passing sailors and shipwrecked crews, and women long worked on shore as net makers and fish sellers. The Catholic Monarchs confirmed the guild in 1480, the year it built its chapel in the Cimadevilla quarter of the town.

Today the guild focuses on traditional small scale fishing, sustainable catches and care for the coast. It runs awareness workshops, organises beach clean ups and donates part of its catch to families in need.

Why the jury chose Llanes

The foundation announced the winner on 1 September. Its jury praised the guild's work for sustainability, innovation, solidarity, the study and promotion of fishing culture, and an efficient management model. El País reported that the jury also framed the prize as recognition for all of Spain's fishermen's guilds and their people.

This was the guild's eighth attempt at the award, and it was chosen from 30 candidates, according to El País.

Princess Leonor takes the lead

The crown princess, who has served as honorary president of the Princess of Asturias Foundation since 2014, once again spoke at the ceremony. El País noted that she first did so in 2025 in Valdesoto, a role previously filled by her father.

In her remarks, reported by RTVE, Leonor praised the guild for supporting the local economy and tourism while preserving artisanal and inshore fishing, protecting fishing grounds and keeping the coast clean. She described fishing as a sector that demands great sacrifice, not only because of the hard work at sea, and recalled the women who for centuries carried fish from village to village to sell it. She also pointed to challenges facing fishermen's guilds today, including finding a new generation to carry on the work.

The guild named Leonor an honorary mariner, its highest distinction, according to La Nueva España. The award was received by the guild's head, Ángel Batalla. María Consuelo Perela, known locally as Maiche, who championed the candidacy, called the recognition a milestone beyond the guild's dreams.

A day of local tradition

The royal party was greeted by bagpipers and crowds of residents, and the family stopped to greet neighbours and pose for selfies before beginning the tour. Asturias regional president Adrián Barbón and Agriculture, Fisheries and Food Minister Luis Planas joined the visit.

The family unveiled a commemorative plaque beside the Santa Ana chapel and watched traditional dances, including El Pericote. They also saw how the local aldeana and porruanu costumes are made and learned how Cantabrian anchovies are prepared by the town's last family run producer.

At the port, the King, Queen and their daughters met retired fishermen, boat owners and the widows of local sailors before stepping aboard a fishing boat to learn about traditional methods. In the fish market, they joined a reverse auction, a selling system used in Llanes since the 16th century. A lunch with residents brought their official programme in Asturias to a close.

A fitting finale

The Exemplary Village Award is always the most intimate moment of the Princess of Asturias week, far from the grand ceremony in Oviedo. By honouring a working guild rather than a single village, the foundation placed the spotlight on the people who keep coastal traditions alive.

For Leonor, now the clear public face of the foundation, Llanes offered another chance to show the warm, practical style that is shaping her role as heir to the throne.