Aida dos Santos wins Spain's National Essay Prize

Aida dos Santos has been awarded the 2026 Spanish National Essay Prize for her work ‘Hijas del hormigón: historias de clasismo, sexismo y violencia en las periferias españolas’ (Debate). The award, conferred by the Ministry of Culture, includes a €30,000 cash prize.

Dos Santos, a political scientist and researcher, conducted extensive interviews with approximately 175 to 200 women from various generations and geographical areas across Spain's urban peripheries. Her work examines the intersection of racism, classism, violence, and sexism, focusing on women who sustain essential social and economic sectors despite living in conditions of precariousness and inequality.

The jury praised the essay for its “enriching, daring and original approach” and noted that it “combats miserabilism and the traditionally male-dominated vision of the working class.” The work is described as a necessary collective reflection on contemporary mechanisms of exclusion that are often systematically overlooked.