San Sebastian Film Festival, awarded at the Nebrija Event Awards 2026

The Nebrija University held the Nebrija Event Awards (NEA) at its Communication and Arts campus, at a gala in which the San Sebastian International Film Festival was recognised as the Best Cultural Event.

The fifth edition of the awards, which once again highlights excellence and innovation in the communication, protocol and event organisation sector, also distinguished O Marisquiño as Best Sports Event; O Son Do Camiño as Best Music Event; Valorant Rising Spain as Best eSports Event; Scrapworld as Best Fashion Event; World Olive Oil Exhibition as Best Gastronomic Event; and Tourism Innovation Summit Sevilla as Best Tourism Event.

The NEA also honoured the professional careers of Mariña Camba, Head of YouTube and Consumer Communications at Google Spain, with the Best Nebrija Alumni Award; Joaquín Mouriz, Director of Brand, Communications and Customer Experience at BNP Paribas Personal Finance and President of Dircom since March 2026, with the Global Alliance Special Mention; and Ana Navarro, Director of Protocol for the First Vice President of the Government and Minister of Economy, Trade and Enterprise, with the Mention for the Best Career in Official Protocol.

Recognition for excellence in events

The Nebrija Event Awards aim to recognise excellence and innovation in the events industry, while at the same time giving visibility to emerging talent from the university environment. Organised entirely by students of the Degree in Strategic Communication, Protocol and Event Organisation at Nebrija University, these awards are an example of the academic model based on experiential learning(learning by doing).

Juan González, member of the selection committee and of the Communication team of the San Sebastian International Film Festival, collected the award for Best Cultural Event for an event that annually brings together 182,000 people, more than 5,000 accredited guests, thousands of journalists and 2,500 members of the industry. "What counts is what is behind these numbers. You have to pay attention to detail: there is no AI that can make these people feel that the festival is theirs, whether they are a Hollywood star or a trainee journalist".

O Marisquiño, a festival of urban culture and sports, received the award for Best Sporting Event, and its CEO and founder, Carlos Domínguez, highlighted the learning by doing methodology, which is key to meeting the challenge "of learning every minute so that things go as they should".

The award to O Son Do Camiño as Best Musical Event was collected by Cristina García and José Carlos Giménez, Director of Communication and Marketing and Director of Business Development at Esmerarte Industrias Creativas, respectively. The latter recalled that the event has become "the seventh largest festival in the country in terms of capacity and the main brand showcase for generation Z".

The NEA also recognised the World Olive Oil Exhibition, which won the award for Best Gastronomic Event. Its CEO, Otilia Romero, recalled the "humble" origins of the organising company, Pomona Keepers, "with which we have dignified olive oil".

In this edition, the award for Best Fashion Event went to Scrapworld, an urban fashion and collectors' fair. Pablo Fernández, its production director, acknowledged the work of the NEA students, who organise these awards in their entirety, "because we know how difficult it is to put on an event".

Valorant Rising Spain, a professional league of reference in the country for this video game, was recognised as the Best eSports event. Its Marketing Director, Celia Miguel, recalled that video games are now one of the largest entertainment industries in the world and, against the idea that they are just young people locked in a room with a computer, she said that in reality they interact with people, "and that can be seen in face-to-face events like this one".

Finally, Tourism Innovation Summit Sevilla, which receives more than 8,000 visitors and is now in its seventh edition, was recognised as Best Tourism Event. Its director, Brigitte Hidalgo, expressed her gratitude that the prize was awarded to young people, "because tourism is very important in our country and we need a lot of talent".

Career paths

In addition to the awards, the NEA also recognises professionals with special mentions. Mariña Camba, head of YouTube and Consumer Communications at Google and a former student at Nebrija University, received her Alumni Mention with a message for students, whom she encouraged to adapt to change and to tell every story "with passion and critical thinking, without forgetting that honesty is a non-negotiable value".

The Global Alliance Special Mention went to Joaquín Mouriz, Brand Director of BNP Paribas Personal Finance and President of Dircom, who reminded the students that "life is unpredictable" and that, in order to achieve success, it is necessary to work on "talent and perseverance".

Finally, Ana Navarro, Lieutenant Colonel and Director of Protocol for the First Vice-President of the Government and Minister of Economy, Trade and Enterprise, Carlos Cuerpo, received the Mention for the Best Career in Official Protocol. "In protocol, a job well done is sometimes imperceptible, because when everything goes well, nobody sees it, and that is how it should be", she remarked.

An academic project with real impact

The fifth edition of the NEA, promoted and organised by the students and presented by the student Flavia Díaz, counted on the participation of associations and entities of reference such as Global Alliance; Newlink -partner of the Master in Event Management and Organisation-; the Association of Communication Consultants (ADC); the Spanish Protocol Association (AEP); Associated Spanish Event Agencies (AEVEA); the Association of Institutional Relations Professionals (APRI); Dircom; and the Event Managers Association (EMA).

Throughout the course, students develop all phases of the project - from conceptualisation to the production of the gala - working under real sector dynamics and putting into practice strategic, organisational and communication skills in a professional environment, guided by professors Jorge de Blas, director of the Master's Degree in Event Organisation and Management at Nebrija University, and Fernando Bonete, director of the Degree in Strategic Communication, Protocol and Event Organisation.

The event was also attended by Marta Perlado, dean of the Faculty of Communication and Arts at Nebrija University; the rector of Nebrija University, José María Ortiz; and the general directors of this edition of the Nebrija Event Awards, students Arual Fuentes and Raquel García, who expressed their gratitude for having been able to participate in the organisation of an event "that allows us to learn by doing".