16 December 2025
Bilbao
On 15 April, Bilbao City Council presented the awards recognising the new Honourable Citizens of Bilbao 2025. Among this year’s honourees is the writer, notary and president of the Royal Academy of the Basque Language (Euskaltzaindia), as well as professor at the University of Deusto, Andrés Urrutia. The other honourees this year were the pianist Joaquín Achúcarro; former Mayor of Bilbao and urban planner Ibon Areso; the actress Gurutze Beitia; and the sociologist Begoña Etxebarria.
In the case of Andrés Urrutia, the recognition was awarded to him, in the words of Mayor Juan María Aburto, for his pivotal work in defending and promoting the Basque language from Bilbao, “one of the strongest yet most attacked and sensitive links of our culture”. In this regard, he emphasised that his legacy and work “must continue to be nurtured in Bilbao”.
To date, a total of 128 Honourable Citizen of Bilbao distinctions have been awarded, including four Ambassadors of the City. The aim of this initiative is “to offer a symbolic award of the highest value as an expression of the city’s gratitude to those exemplary lives that carry the good name of Bilbao around the world and leave us with the finest legacy; they represent the model we wish to foster in our city and the true mirror in which we want young people to see themselves and aspire to emulate,” the Mayor stated.
Born in Bilbao in 1954, Andrés Urrutia is a notary and professor at Deusto Law School, with a long career as a writer, president of the Royal Academy of the Basque Language (Euskaltzaindia), and a committed defender, guardian and promoter of the Basque language. His career has combined regional civil law with the defence and promotion of the Basque language, making him a leading figure in both the legal and cultural spheres.
In the field of Basque literature, in addition to writing narratives and translations, he has prepared editions of classics by figures such as academics Juan Bautista Eguzkitza (1874–1939) and Eusebio Erkiaga (1912–1993). Within Euskaltzaindia, he has led significant initiatives, including the renewal of the Academy’s teams and a stronger focus on research and the institutionalisation of the Basque language….
He has also received numerous awards, including the Iurreta Basque Festivals Short Story Award (1991); the Andrés E. de Mañaricua Award; the Jesús María Leizaola Award from IVAP; the Golden Pen of the Bilbao Book Fair (2016); and the Sabino Arana Foundation Award (2019).
