The Cabildo de La Palma, through the public company Sodepal, has recognised through the new edition of the Fernando Cabrera Astronomy Awards the interest of young people in the archipelago in this field, as this year the awards have been extended to students from all over the Canary Islands.

The CEO of Sodepal, Miriam Perestelo, highlights the level of the winning entries, very different in their subject matter, from the one that proposes a new and creative story linked to the sky of the ancient inhabitants of the Canary Islands, the use of a 3D application in which the young person shows equipment that can move a telescope to places that are difficult to access, to a descriptive essay on deep sky objects that is complemented with a practical astronomical observation through an amateur telescope.  

In addition, Perestelo also thanked those who participated for their efforts to take part and the teachers, family and friends for their support for this competition.

The first insular prize in the Secondary category, and also in the Regional category, went to Víctor Francisco Hernández García with his work Stellar Events. In the high school category, the prize went to Gabriel Hernández Ramos, with his work Prototipo telescopio motorizado y todoterreno (Motorised and all-terrain telescope prototype). A runner-up in the Regional category was Juan Agustín Miranda Jorge, from Gran Canaria, for his work Una historia menos por contar (One less story to tell).

The prizes for the winners consisted of a variety of astronomical material, together with visits to the tourist attractions of the Cabildo de La Palma and a visit to the Gran Telescopio Canarias, as well as practical daytime and night-time observations.

The regional winner, being from La Palma, will enjoy a trip to Tenerife, for him and two companions, to visit the astrophysical offices and facilities on the island.

The jury was made up of a representative of the Tourism Department of the Cabildo de La Palma, a representative of the UNED, another of the IAC, another of the GTC, two of the Agrupación Astronómica de La Palma and one of the public company Sodepal.

This new edition was organised by Sodepal and financed by the Tourism Department of the Cabildo Insular de La Palma, with the collaboration of the Agrupación Astronómica Isla de La Palma - AAP, the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias - IAC and IACTEC, the Universidad Nacional a Distancia - UNED, the Gran Telescopio Canarias - GTC, as representative of the ORM institutions, and the Observatorio del Teide - OT.

These prizes aim to develop and encourage interest in astronomy among the students of La Palma and the Canary Islands, taking advantage of the esteemed memory of the late Fernando Cabrera, winner of the extraordinary prize for his degree and doctorate in astrophysics, who was a student at the UNED, a researcher at the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias, a founding member of the Agrupación Astronómica Isla de La Palma and an example of self-improvement.