The fronton in Aulesti hosted the finals of the Bizkaia School Championship for written and improvised bertso this past weekend. This initiative, jointly organized by Ikastolen Elkartea and Bertsozale Elkartea, gathered nearly 200 young participants around the world of bertsolaritza.

On Friday and Saturday, the finals for written bertso across various educational levels took place. Students from ESO and Bachillerato competed after preliminary rounds held in April and May. The finals for 5th and 6th grade of Primary Education were held on Friday.

On Saturday, the spotlight was on the improvisation final, which featured eight finalists. This year, 39 bertsolaris registered for the competition. After performing in the 'zortziko handi' and 'txiki' formats, the participants engaged in an individual exercise. Among them, Iradi Barrenetxea Akesolo (Artea) and Jon Abasolo Sarralde (Munitibar) accumulated the most points, qualifying for the head-to-head final ('buruz-burukoa').

Following the head-to-head final, Iradi Barrenetxea was crowned the champion of the 2026 Bizkaia School Championship. The bertsolari Xabat Galletebeitia Abaroa presented the championship trophy to the winner. Both finalists, Barrenetxea and Abasolo, have qualified for the Euskal Herria School Championship final, scheduled for June 13th in Arantza.

During the event, Etxahun Lekue Etxebarria served as the presenter, while the judging panel consisted of Beñat Romero Maguregi, Ainhoa Arregi Elosua, and Ander Arrien Azpiazu. Ariane Elejabarrieta Amorrortu handled the secretarial duties.

The award ceremony took place at midday in the fronton itself. Participants included Belate Olabarria Astobiza, president of Bizkaiko Bertsozale Elkartea, and Josu Telleria Uriarte, president of the territorial assembly of Bizkaia's ikastolas.

Among the winners of the written competition, Aiotz Loiola (Dima) secured first place in the ESO1 level; Ane Makazaga (Zornotza) in the ESO2 level; and Peru Cristoba (Deria) in the ESO3-ESO4-Bachillerato level.