Raonador del Ciutadà contest attracts 76 entries, adds photography category

The 2025 edition of the Raonador del Ciutadà human-rights contest received 76 entries, more than triple last year’s 22 participants. Submissions included 42 literary works and 34 photographs, the latter introduced as a new category for this edition.

Pupils from the country’s four education systems entered works produced in secondary education, baccalaureate and vocational training. Entries were grouped by educational stage into three competition categories named after Mother Teresa of Calcutta, Nelson Mandela and Martin Luther King. Participants addressed themes linked to human rights through literary and photographic creation, drawing inspiration from rights set out in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Raonador del Ciutadà Xavier Cañada said the rise in participation “demonstrates that the young people of our country have a growing sensitivity towards the defence of human rights.” Organisers say the contest aims to promote respect for human-rights values while encouraging creativity, critical thinking and civic commitment among students.

Prizes will be presented on 10 December at the Consell General, coinciding with International Human Rights Day. The awards ceremony will feature a lecture titled “Human rights in a time of profound change” by Joan Subirats Humet, professor of political science at the Autonomous University of Barcelona and an expert in public policies and social transformation.