National Design Awards 2025: identity, talent and the future
Last week, the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities announced the winners of the 2025 National Design Awards, recognising careers, emerging talents and business projects that reaffirm design’s value as a tool for transformation. Patricia Urquiola, Miguel Leiro, Viccarbe and Diego Areso embody the diversity, depth and strength of Spain’s creative ecosystem.
Patricia Urquiola: a career that transforms spaces and perspectives
Winner of the Lifetime Achievement in Design category, Patricia Urquiola is one of the most influential figures in contemporary design. An architect and designer trained in Madrid and Milan, she has collaborated with brands such as Alessi, Moroso, Cassina, Andreu World, Glas Italia and B&B Italia, blending technological innovation with artisanal sensitivity.
From her Milan-based studio, founded in 2001, she has developed a distinctive language rooted in sustainability, emotion and new ways of inhabiting space. Her pieces feature in collections at the MoMA in New York and the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris.
The award recognises not only her international trajectory but also her work as a teacher, curator and design advocate.
Miguel Leiro: a new generation that connects, experiments and rethinks
The Young Design Professionals award has gone to Miguel Leiro Fernández-Cuesta, a multidisciplinary creator who represents a new, critical and context-driven approach to design — experimental and deeply engaged with today’s social and cultural landscape.
Trained at the Pratt Institute in New York, Leiro combines material research, object design and strategic thinking. He has led projects such as the independent Mayrit biennial and the Office of Design platform, positioning himself as a catalyst for creative networks and new narratives. His playful, pedagogical and open-minded vision makes him one of the most promising voices in Spanish design.
Viccarbe: design as business strategy and Mediterranean essence
In the Design and Business category, the 2025 National Design Award has been granted to Viccarbe, a Valencian company that has made design the central axis of its business model.
Founded in 2000 by Víctor Carrasco and Daniel Benedito, Viccarbe has combined international vision with local commitment, placing human wellbeing at the heart of every creation.
The jury praised the brand’s ability to integrate design across all areas — from product and packaging to visual identity, communications and corporate culture. Viccarbe represents an exemplary model that merges innovation, quality and environmental responsibility, all with a strong Mediterranean spirit.
Their warm, functional and timeless designs foster interaction and creativity in work, educational and domestic spaces across more than 80 countries. Collaborations with figures such as Patricia Urquiola, Jaime Hayon, Jasper Morrison, Naoto Fukasawa and Meike Harde have consolidated Viccarbe’s identity as a leading name in contemporary Spanish design. The award, in the words of the Viccarbe team, is “a tribute to our collective commitment to honest, emotional and deeply human design”.
Diego Areso: the power of editorial design
Designer Diego Areso Nieva has received a Special Mention in the Lifetime Achievement category for his key role in the transformation of editorial and graphic design in Spain. As art director and deputy editor at El País, Areso has led the redesign of titles such as Público, S Moda and Vogue Mexico.
The jury praised his teaching and outreach work, as well as his role in shaping new generations of designers. His innovative vision of information architecture has made him a reference in the digital adaptation of media.
Design as a driver of structural change
The 2025 National Design Awards not only celebrate individual achievements and successful business models — they reaffirm a core idea: design is a structural tool that connects creativity, economy and society.
Chaired by Teresa Riesgo, Secretary General for Innovation, the jury included leading figures such as Leticia Sastre, Manuel Blanco and Ariel Guersenzvaig, who all emphasised the generational, disciplinary and regional diversity of the winners.
The awards coincide with the presentation of the National Innovation Awards, highlighting the intersection of knowledge, technology and creativity. Among the winners are Luis Felipe Serrano, Marcos González (H2 Dron Energy), Fertinagro Biotech and Sepiia 2080 — all leaders in sustainability, business innovation and technological development.
“Design is a structural tool that connects creativity, economy and society.”
A celebration of design as national identity
This edition of the 2025 National Design Awards reaffirms that Spanish design is not just a trend — it is identity, strategy and cultural impact. A quiet but constant driving force that transforms industries, improves daily life and propels the country into the future.
From Patricia Urquiola’s humanistic warmth and material sophistication to Miguel Leiro’s critical, conceptual and provocative lens; from Viccarbe’s collaborative, Mediterranean model to Diego Areso’s graphic precision — these awards celebrate not only brilliant careers but also very different — and complementary — ways of understanding design.
A discipline that, in Spain, is no longer just aesthetic. It is innovation, strategic thinking, and above all, a powerful instrument of change with a distinctive national signature.
Congratulations to all the awardees!
(*) Photo credits: Viccarbe, courtesy of the brand; Miguel Leiro: Anne Emmanuelle Thion; Patricia Urquiola: Mattia Greghi.
