Raising funds for cancer research through the promotion of reading. This is the objective of the Girem Full solidarity initiative, which The New Barcelona Post has awarded the Culture Prize within the framework of the Fundació Catalunya Cultura's Impulsa Cultura program.
The project, promoted by the Gremi de Llibreters de Catalunya, the Fundació Collserola, and the Hospital Clínic Barcelona-IDIBAPS, is one of the five finalists of the program vying for the Impulsa Cultura 2025 Prize, valued at 15,000 euros and to be awarded in October during the Nit de l'Empresa i la Cultura.
Among the five finalists, The New Barcelona Post has awarded Girem Full for its solidarity work, which this year has translated into 2,000 hours of cancer research. The prize, valued at 10,000 euros for the design of a communicative dissemination strategy, was presented at the Impulsa Cultura program's Demo Day, where the jury selected the five finalists at an event in the Antigua Fábrica Estrella Damm.
The initiative raises funds for cancer research through book reviews and people who sponsor them by making donations. This year, between late March and Sant Jordi, people were invited to participate by reading books and sharing the experience through a review; at the end of the campaign, a count was made that translated into hours of research, thanks to reading sponsors who committed to making a donation for each review. During the campaign, which adds to the funds raised throughout the year with solidarity initiatives linked to the project, more than 15,300 reviews were surpassed, which translated into these 2,000 hours of research.
In addition to Girem Full, the Fastt performing arts festival for Catalan micro-towns is also a finalist for the Impulsa Cultura Prize, as well as Gio Symphonia, the Girona symphony orchestra that opens up to new formats and new groups. The quintet of finalists is completed by the Sinèrgic initiative, which aims to bring music to hospitals, and the Vibez Festival digital culture event for young people.
The projects, selected from ten semifinalists, have received recognition from collaborating entities of the Fundació Catalunya Cultura. In addition to The New Barcelona Post award to Girem Full, Barcelona Global has distinguished the Vibez Festival with a prize of 5,000 euros, while the semifinalist Shakespeare and Friends has won the Irene Vázquez scholarship. Granted by Eada to women entrepreneurs in the cultural field, it will allow the project's founder, Carol Muakuku, to complete Eada's General Management Program (PDG).
The new Xavier Gramona Award, for Art i Cura
In this edition, the Fundació Catalunya Cultura has instituted a new award: the Xavier Gramona Award, granted to the Art i Cura program. Endowed with 3,000 euros, the program has been created in honor of the wine producer and popularizer, who passed away two years ago, to "perpetuate a legacy and a way of doing and thinking that deeply resonated with all the people of this foundation", as highlighted by the entity's director, Maite Esteve.
In this first edition, the award has recognized Art i Cura, co-created by the Fundació Iluro and CAP Mataró Centre. From Casa Coll i Regàs, a work by Josep Puig i Cadafalch in the capital of Maresme, the project combines art, health and heritage to improve emotional and community well-being, generating scientific evidence on the impact of culture on health.