The Medalla d'Honor del Parlament de Catalunya is a civil honorary distinction awarded by the Parliament of Catalonia since 2000, recognising members of the Parliament and other people living in Catalonia for their careers and contributions to the region, as well as exceptional service.
Recipients of the honour receive a medal in recognition; unlike for example the Catalonia International Prize, which comes with financial award but no designated honour. The medal resembles the Four Bars (which may be recognised as the Senyera with top-to-bottom stripes) and was based on a design created by Antoni Cumella i Serret in 1984. [lower-alpha 1] [2] In 2000, goldsmith Joaquim Capdevila i Gaya adapted the design so it could be produced as medals. [2]
In the first year it was awarded, the honour was bestowed upon the Parliament of Catalonia's former presidents, as well as Desmond Tutu, an esteemed guest to the region.
There have been several posthumous recipients. In 2001, Ernest Lluch (d. 2000) was recognised for the honour posthumously, with his daughters receiving the award on his behalf. In 2007, the members of Els Setze Jutges were awarded, together with their promoter Lluís Serrahima; of the members of the group, Miquel Porter i Moix (d. 2004) and Delfí Abella (d. 2007) were honoured posthumously, while Guillermina Motta refused the distinction. One of the groups recognised in 2015 was the first elected officials of the restored Parliament of Catalonia following return to democracy, to recognise the 35th anniversary of such elections; of these first eight, Marta Mata had died in 2006. [3]
| Year | Recipient(s) | Note(s) |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Heribert Barrera i Costa | Ex-presidents of the Parliament of Catalonia |
| Miquel Coll i Alentorn | ||
| Joaquim Xicoy i Bassegoda | ||
| Joan Reventós i Carner | ||
| Desmond Tutu | Peace activist and recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize | |
| 2001 | Miquel Batllori i Munné | Historian |
| Ernest Lluch | Politician (posthumous award) | |
| 2002 | Francesc Vendrell i Vendrell | United Nations representative in Afghanistan |
| 2003 | Jordi Savall | Musician |
| 2004 | Montserrat Trueta i Llacuna | President of the Catalan Down's Syndrome Foundation |
| 2005 | Adolfo Pérez Esquivel | Peace activist and recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize |
| 2007 | Els Setze Jutges | Performance group who promoted Nova Cançó |
| 2010 | Roser Capdevila | Illustrator [4] |
| 2011 | Josep Guardiola i Sala | Sportsperson [5] |
| 2012 | Càritas Catalunya | Social group [6] |
| Òmnium Cultural | Cultural association [6] | |
| 2013 | Núria Gispert i Feliu | Social activist |
| Carme Ruscalleda | Chef | |
| Anna Veiga Lluch | Researcher | |
| 2014 | Josep Carreras | Singer [7] |
| 2015 | Rosa Barenys i Martorell | The eight first deputies of the Parliament of Catalonia (Mata awarded posthumously) [8] |
| Maria Dolors Calvet i Puig | ||
| Teresa Eulàlia Calzada Isern | ||
| Concepció Ferrer | ||
| Helena Ferrer i Mallol | ||
| Marta Mata | ||
| Trinitat Neras Plaja | ||
| Assumpció Sallés i González | ||
| Guttmann Institute | Facility for spinal cord injury treatment [9] | |
| 2016 | Manel Esteller | Researcher |
| 2017 | Mossos d'Esquadra | First responders during the 2017 Barcelona attacks |
| Sistema d'Emergències Mèdiques | ||
| Guàrdia Urbana de Barcelona | ||
| Cambrils police service | ||
| 2018 | Rosa Sensat Teachers' Association | For significantly improving educational standards [10] |
| 2019 | Carola Rackete | Human rights activists [11] |
| Òscar Camps | ||
| 2020 | Health services of Catalonia | For the response to the COVID-19 pandemic [12] |
| 2021 | Catalan independence activists who have suffered repression, and the lawyers who defend them (including the trial of Catalonia independence leaders) | For their contributions to Catalonia [13] |
| 2022 | Núria Feliu | Catalan-language singer (posthumous award) [14] |
| Pau Riba i Romeva | Singer and songwriter in various languages (posthumous award) [14] | |
| Joaquim Arenas i Sampera | Primary creators of the Catalan Education Service in 1978, the main body for Catalan-language immersion programmes in schools of the region [14] | |
| Margarida Muset i Adel | ||
| 2023 | FC Barcelona Femení | For their contribution to the success and positive perception of women's sports, and advocating for "social respect for women in sports" to create "a more fair and equal society in terms of rights and opportunities". [15] [lower-alpha 2] |
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