Last Monday 16 September, the city of Valencia became the focus of attention for Spanish design as host of the ‘Premios Nacionales de Innovación y Diseño’; the ceremony for the national awards for innovation and design which was held in the iconic Veles e Vents building in the Marina Real Juan Carlos I.
With prizes awarded by the Ministry of Industry, Valencia was host of the ceremony for the first time and also home for two of the prize winners. These included designer Nacho Lavernia (Lavernia & Cienfuegos), founding member of La Nave with a long career behind him and Royo Group, the Valencian company lead by Pascual and Raúl Royo, manufacturers of bathroom fittings.
The event was lead by the Prince and Princess of Asturias, Felipe de Borbón and Letizia Ortiz, whilst attendees included the President of the Valencian Community, Alberto Fabra, and the mayor of Valencia, Rita Barberá. Over the course of the evening, prizes were awarded to Joaquín Moya-Angeler (President of the Technological Corporation in Andalusia) for the Innovation Development category, and the firm Lékué for the Companies category. As previously mentioned, two prize winners were Valencian themselves; Pascual and Raúl Royo from Royo Group were awarded the Internationalisation Prize and designer Nacho Lavernia won the award for the Professional category.
