This year, two awards will be presented again: the Journalism Award and the Communication Award. Representatives gathered at the entrance of Rikardo Arregi's house to provide details of this year's edition, including Marta Lasa, Councilor for Basque Language and Culture of the Andoain City Council, Aitziber Atorrasagasti, Director for the Promotion of Basque Language of the Basque Government, and Mikel Arregi, Rikardo Arregi's younger brother.
All three emphasized the importance of the award, as Rikardo Arregi's work at the time fostered "the desire to professionalize and modernize journalism, so that the information society needed would be in Basque and of high quality".
As in previous years, the competition will feature two categories this year: Journalism Award and Communication Award. The deadline for submitting nominations will close on September 20th.
The Rikardo Arregi Journalism Award will consider works and projects carried out between September 16, 2025, and September 15, 2026. Works published in newspapers, magazines, digital publications, radio, and television in Basque will be evaluated. The award is worth 9,000 euros, and the winner will receive an artistic piece created by Xabier Laka.
The Communication Award, on the other hand, will be open to initiatives that adapt communication in Basque to new formats and methods, and that represent innovative steps for the benefit of Basque communication. This award is also valued at 9,000 euros, and an artistic piece by sculptor Xabier Laka will be presented to the winner.
There will be a maximum of eight finalists, and those who do not win the award will receive a serigraph of the artwork created by Xabier Laka.
Nominations to be eligible for the awards can be submitted until September 20th, by sending them by ordinary mail to the Andoain City Council or to the email address raks@andoain.eus. The jury will also have the option to make its own proposals.
The jury will be composed of the following members: Miren Berasategi Zeberio, Eneko Bidegain Aire, Itxaro Borda Xarriton, Angel Erro Jimenez, Pantxika Maitia, and Libe Mimenza Castillo. The chairperson will be Marta Lasa Goñi, and the secretary will be the Basque Language technician of the Andoain City Council.
The jury will announce the names of the finalists in early November, and the award ceremony will take place on December 4th at the Bastero Kulturgunea in Andoain.
