Benidorm and the Frax Foundation launch the fourth edition of the naval history research awards

Benidorm City Council and Frax Foundation have convened the fourth edition of the 'Miquel Llinares Barceló' Naval History Research Award -“a student of the history and traditions” of the city- and which in 2024 increases its endowment to 4,500 euros. This was announced today at a press conference by the mayor, Toni Pérez; the president of the Frax Foundation, Matías Pérez Such; and Admiral Marcial Gamboa Pérez-Pardo, director of the Institute of Naval History and Culture, an entity that also collaborates with this award.

The press call was also attended by, among others, the Colonel of the Marine Infantry and Deputy Delegate for Defense in Alicante, Juan Bosco; the Captain and Naval Commander of Alicante, Joaquín Vergara Jiménez; Benidorm Navy Lieutenant Francisco Zaragoza Ivars; Jaime Llinares Fuster, patron of Frax Foundation and son of Miquel Llinares Barceló; and Eusebi Chiner, also from Benidorm and winner of the first edition of the award.

Toni Pérez explained that since the first edition, the City Council has participated in this award "aware of the extraordinary relevance of the city's maritime and naval history", which requires initiatives such as this, aimed at "its recovery, safeguarding and dissemination". as a "fundamental part of the history and idiosyncrasies of the people of Benidorm".

The mayor referred to Benidorm's link with the Navy, a union that this Monday has been made clear again in a solemn act of remembrance for those who fell at sea that has been held in Plaça de la Senyoria.

Regarding Benidorm, Admiral Gamboa assured that the Navy "has always felt at home" there; and he showed satisfaction with the Institute of Naval History and Culture for participating in these awards, since "everything that promotes the knowledge of history is promoting the identity of the Nation and marking the future."

Along with the announcement of the fourth edition of the 'Miquel Llinares Barceló' Award, today the winner of the third call for the award was decided, which will be delivered this afternoon in the City Hall assembly hall starting at 8:30 p.m. with the conference 'The Navy of the Illustration' by Admiral Gamboa.

As the mayor reported, in a meeting held this morning, the jury for the third edition of the award has decided to recognize the work presented by César Evangelio from Benidorm based on the figure of the local corsair Juan Bautista Pérez and focused on the escort that he made to the relics of the Cathedral of Valencia during the War of Independence, anchoring for 12 days in Benidorm, on the Alicante-Valencia maritime route.

For this work, which is temporarily located between the end of January and mid-February 1810, Evangelio will receive 2,500 euros this afternoon from the Frax Foundation and 1,500 euros from Benidorm City Council.

Facing the fourth edition of the award, and apart from the increase in the endowment to "make it even more attractive", the president of Frax advanced that the bases will be published in the coming days and that the deadline for submission of works will be open until June 21, 2024. The jury's decision will be announced on July 3, 2024, coinciding today with the anniversary of the death of Constable Zaragoza, a hero of the Cuban War from Benidorm who fell in 1898.

Precisely 'Condestable Zaragoza' will be the name of the annual scholarship for the Institute of Naval History and Culture sponsored by the Frax Foundation that will be presented shortly.