Sonsoles Ónega receives the Manuel Alcántara Award in Málaga for her journalism career

Málaga will bring together two generations of Spanish journalism this Wednesday for the 21st Manuel Alcántara International Journalism Awards. Journalist and writer Sonsoles Ónega will receive the award for professional career, while Livia Drusila Castro Jiménez will be recognised in the category for young journalists.

The ceremony will begin at 10:30 am on Wednesday 7 October in the auditorium of the University of Málaga Rectorate, on Avenida de Cervantes.

Admission will be free until full capacity is reached.

More than two decades of journalism for Sonsoles Ónega

The jury has chosen to recognise Sonsoles Ónega for a career spanning more than two decades and covering different areas of journalism.

She began her career in news media before becoming a familiar face on television.

Ónega worked at CNN+ and Noticias Cuatro, where she was involved, among other areas, in court reporting.

She later joined Telecinco’s news team and spent around a decade working as a parliamentary correspondent, covering some of Spain’s main political developments from Congress.

From political reporting to major television formats

A new stage in her career began in 2018 when she became the presenter of Ya es mediodía.

In 2022 she joined Antena 3 to host Y ahora Sonsoles, the afternoon programme she continues to present today.

The Manuel Alcántara Award jury has particularly highlighted her ability to bring tools traditionally associated with news journalism —such as interviewing, contextualisation and direct contact with the people involved in current affairs— into formats aimed at very broad audiences.

Her career has therefore combined reporting, political journalism, current affairs and television.

A career that also includes literature

Sonsoles Ónega has also developed a parallel career as a writer.

Among her literary achievements is the 2023 Planeta Prize, which she won for her novel Las hijas de la criada.

Journalism and literature have coexisted throughout much of her professional life, making her well known both for her television work and her books.

The Manuel Alcántara Award now adds another recognition specifically linked to her journalism career.

Livia Drusila Castro receives the young journalism award

The ceremony will have a second main protagonist.

Journalist Livia Drusila Castro Jiménez will receive the award in the category for young professionals for her report “El tren de la muerte: así es el viaje de los migrantes de México a EEUU pese a la amenaza de Trump”.

The piece was published by Público on 18 April 2025.

The report explores one of the main migration routes through Mexico towards the United States and follows people who travel on freight trains during part of the journey.

Reporting from one of the most dangerous migration routes

The award-winning report combines migrants’ personal stories with the political and social context surrounding the US border.

Castro addresses risks including violence, kidnapping, disappearances and the extreme conditions faced by many people during the journey.

The report also includes the presence of Las Patronas, the Mexican women’s collective known for providing food and assistance to migrants travelling on trains.

The jury particularly valued its multimedia format, combining written reporting, photography and an audiovisual piece lasting around twenty minutes.

A journalist specialising in audiovisual storytelling

Livia Drusila Castro was born in Navalmoral de la Mata, Cáceres, in 1997.

She holds degrees in Journalism and Audiovisual Communication from Rey Juan Carlos University and has focused much of her career on documentary reporting, audiovisual production and social issues.

She has worked on location in countries and territories including Mexico, Cuba, Chile and Western Sahara.

She currently lives in Mexico City and works as a producer and director linked to RTVE in Central America.

Two generations of journalism in one ceremony

The selection of the two award winners brings together very different professional profiles.

Sonsoles Ónega represents an established career spanning newsrooms, political reporting, journalism and major television formats.

Livia Drusila Castro belongs to a younger generation closely connected to multimedia journalism and international field reporting.

The ceremony will therefore bring both profiles together within an award that aims to recognise both established professional careers and emerging journalistic work.

What is the Manuel Alcántara International Journalism Award?

The competition reaches its 21st edition in 2026.

The Manuel Alcántara International Journalism Award is linked to the University of Málaga, the Manuel Alcántara Foundation and Diario SUR, and takes its name from one of the journalists, columnists and poets most closely associated with Málaga.

The award includes one category for journalistic work and another focused on professional career achievement.

Under the competition rules, the winner in the career category is also proposed as an Honorary Member of the University of Málaga.

Manuel Alcántara and his connection with Málaga journalism

Manuel Alcántara was born in Málaga in 1928 and developed a long career as both a poet and journalist.

His name became particularly associated with newspaper columns, a genre he practised for decades.

The award that bears his name seeks to maintain that link between Málaga and journalism while also recognising new ways of reporting current affairs.

The combination of an established journalist and a young reporter reflects precisely that dual approach.

Practical information

Event: 21st Manuel Alcántara International Journalism Awards.

Date: Wednesday 7 October 2026.

Time: 10:30 am.

Venue: Auditorium of the University of Málaga Rectorate.

Location: Avenida de Cervantes, Málaga.

Career award: Sonsoles Ónega.

Young journalism award: Livia Drusila Castro Jiménez.

Admission: Free until full capacity is reached.

A morning dedicated to journalism in central Málaga

The Manuel Alcántara Award ceremony will once again turn the University of Málaga Rectorate into a meeting point for professionals, students and anyone interested in journalism.

This year’s edition brings together two different ways of practising the profession: the career of a journalist who moved from parliamentary reporting to some of Spain’s highest-profile television formats, and the work of a young reporter focused on field journalism and multimedia storytelling.

Sonsoles Ónega and Livia Drusila Castro will receive their awards this Wednesday from 10:30 am, in an event open to the public until the Rectorate reaches full capacity.