The award was given in recognition of the COAC’s efforts to internationalize Catalan architects.

The awards ceremony was held on Tuesday 3 December in the Plenary Room of the Senate in Madrid and was attended by HRH Felipe, Prince of Asturias, the Minister for Public Works, Ana Pastor, the President of the Senate, Pío García Escudero, and the President of the CSCAE, Jordi Ludevid.

The award distinguishes the almost two decades during which the COAC has striven to foster, promote and facilitate the internationalization of its architects. It gives particular recognition to the ArqCatMón project, which the Association organized in 2005 and which, coordinated by Jordi Farrando, helped Catalan architecture to win increased recognition beyond our borders through a magnificent exhibition staged in Istanbul featuring more than 500 international projects designed by 242 Catalan architects.

During the ceremony, Ana Pastor, the Minister for Public Works, highlighted COAC’s 'constant and invaluable backing and support, which is so necessary if we are to be successful abroad', referring to the recent creation of COAC’s Correspondent Network abroad, a collaborative network of member architects who work outside Catalonia and can currently be found in 23 cities on five continents.

The Spanish International Architecture Awards are sponsored by the Spanish Architecture Forum, which includes the Higher Council of Architects’ Associations of Spain (CSCAE), architects’ associations and architectural schools and foundations, and are aimed at disseminating the excellence of its architects and urban planners in the international sphere.

The CSCAE awarded its 2013 Medal to the former Minister for Public Works, Rafael Arias Salgado, and architect Jaume Duró.

This first edition of the award included five categories: Award for Architecture (the new Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam), Award for an International Tender Project (Gösta Museum of the Serlachius Foundation in Finland, by MXSI Mara Partida, Boris Bezan and Héctor Mendoza), Award for Associated Spanish Company (Constructora San José), Young Architect’s Award for an International Project (Centre Léonce Georges by Pilar Calderón and Marc Folch) and the Support for Internationalization Award, which was won by the COAC.