The Llobregat Open Chess, the chess tournament that is about to start its sixth edition, not only gets the chess pieces to move on the 64 squares of the board by the hand of the world’s grandmasters: it is also changing the rules of the game in the world of communication. That is why this unique event, which has turned Sant Boi into one of the international epicenters of this sport, has been awarded this Thursday with the CLABE Prize to the Best Event in Spain during the XVIII edition of the Journalism and Communication Awards organized by the main group of Spanish publishers.
The chess of Baix Llobregat and L’Hospitalet is in luck. Xavier Pérez Llorca, organizer of the El Llobregat Open Chessand editor of El Llobregat, has collected this Thursday in Madrid the award that accredits the chess tournament held in Sant Boi as “the best event of the year 2024” in Spain, according to the Club Abierto de Editores (CLABE), the entity that brings together the main Spanish press editors. The diploma and the trophy were presented to Pérez Llorca by the president of the Consejo Superior de Deportes (CSD), José Manuel Rodríguez Uribes, during the gala of the XVIII Edition of the CLABE Awards for Journalism and Communication. The ceremony was also attended by the Spanish Minister for Digital Transformation and the Civil Service, Oscar López Águeda.
Xavier Pérez Llorca (Photo: Santi Burgos, on loan from CLABE).
The editor of El Llobregat has been accompanied and flanked at the ceremony by the first deputy mayor of Sant Boi, Jose Angel Carcelén (PSC) and the Coordinator of the City Council of Sant Boi, Francisco Gutierrez. During his speech when receiving the award, Xavier Pérez Llorca thanked the award on behalf of the entire organizing team of El Llobregat Open Chess and said that the award received makes him feel especially “recognized and accompanied in a hard work for which it is difficult to find partners such as the City Council of Sant Boi, which has given us its backing and support for the past four years,” he stressed. The tournament will kick off its sixth edition at the end of this month.
Journalism at the service of citizens
The gala of the XVIII edition of the CLABE Journalism and Communication Awards has become this Thursday a bastion in a bare-chested defense of journalism as a service to citizenship: understanding that it is journalism that informs with rigor, innovates, fights disinformation and protects freedom of expression. In a particularly symbolic year for the organization of the awards -which celebrates its 25th anniversary and already brings together 224 editorial groups-, the ceremony has made a generic and meaningful recognition to all those who support day by day “the right to accurate information”.
Beyond the distribution of statuettes and diplomas, the CLABE awards have once again vindicated the social function of the media and the fundamental role that editors, journalists and communicators play in strengthening democracy. This was remarked, for example, by the president of CLABE, Arsenio Escolar, in the presence of the best of the Spanish publishing, media and academic circles.
Diversity and vitality of the media ecosystem
The jury, chaired by Juan Zafra, which evaluated the 96 entries (including those of El Llobregat and El Llobregat Open Chess) submitted in the thirteen categories of the awards, said that all of them together reflect “the diversity and vitality of the media ecosystem”. The heterogeneity of the award-winning proposals has made it possible to take a clear picture of where the sector is heading: innovation, specialization, public service and the development of new formats to connect with audiences. 
Family photo of the XVIII Journalism and Communication Awards (Photo: Santi Burgos, courtesy of CLABE).
Among the winners, in addition to El Llobregat Open Chess, there are projects that bet on different but complementary paths. From the Journalistic Innovation of Upeka (Webedia) or the specialized content of Tendencias (edited by Ismael Nafría) to the value of Local Journalism represented by the section “Gent de Terrassa” (from Diari de Terrassa, Grup Edicions de Premsa Local) through the B2B Content of Balance Sociosanitario (Grupo Senda) and the award for Best Cultural Content that has been for Ibiza between words, verses and songs (Letras y Notas).
Against health disinformation
One of the most powerful messages of the evening came with the award for the Initiative against Disinformation, which went to Lucha contra la desinformación sanitaria -#TuFarmacéuticoInforma and #VerificaRTVE-, an alliance between the Consejo General de Colegios Farmacéuticos and VerificaRTVE that is a reminder that health disinformation continues to be one of the great challenges of our time.
Minister López with almost the entire CLABE board (Photo: Santi Burgos, on loan from CLABE).
The Award for Excellence in Communication went to Ollo Photo, which shows that journalism continues to renew itself, while the Professional Career Award went to Pilar González Matorra (La Gaceta del Taxi). The list is completed with the Professional of the Year Award, which went to Andrés Rodríguez (SpainMedia). The General Content Award of the XVIII CLABE Awards went to ‘Un tema Al Día’ with Juanlu Sánchez (elDiario.es) while the Prize for the Institutional Advertising Campaign went to the initiative Castillos que hablan ( of the Provincial Council of Valladolid, with the production of Tribuna Grupo).
Reporters Without Borders Award
As every year, the Special Jury Prize was reserved to recognize professionalism that transcends categories. On this occasion, the jury awarded the prize to Reporters Without Borders (RSF) for its international work in defense of press freedom. At a time when reporting can be a vital risk, RSF has become a shield for journalists under threat and an indispensable voice in denouncing abuses of freedom of expression.
Photo: Santi Burgos, on loan from CLABE
This particular award only underscores an idea that hung in the air throughout the gala: without free journalists, there are no free societies. For this reason, this recognition was received by the entity as a reminder that the exercise of journalism “remains essential for democratic functioning”.
Quality and commitment against information noise
According to the president of the jury, Juan Zafra, the nominations of this edition reflect “the quality and commitment” of a publishing sector that is committed to responsible, innovative journalism that is deeply linked to public service. In this way, the XVIII edition of the Awards has deepened the importance of consolidating as a reference a journalism capable of guiding, explaining and accompanying citizens in times of information noise and
