The American singer and writer Patti Smith (Chicago, 1946) has been awarded the Princess of Asturias Award for the Arts 2026, as announced today in Oviedo by the jury responsible for granting these prestigious prizes. Dubbed as “the godmother of punk,” they highlight that she is a performer of vigorous style, who has expressed the rebellion of the individual in society through pulsating songs, some of which have already become icons of the music of our time.
The jury has decided to award Patti Smith the Princess of the Arts for “her impetuous creativity, which connects rock, Symbolist poetry and the spirit of counterculture with great expressive power.” This prize, which in 2025 went to Mexican photographer Graciela Iturbide, is awarded for “the creation, cultivation and refinement of architecture, cinematography, dance, sculpture, photography, music, painting, theatre and other artistic manifestations.”
This award for Patti Smith adds to a long list of honors that have also led her to become a Commander of the Order of Arts and Letters (France, 2005), Gold Medal for Merit in the Fine Arts of Spain (2019), Officer of the Legion of Honor of France (2022) and an honorary doctorate from Columbia University in 2007. She is also a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and in 2021 her album Horses was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.
The Princess of Asturias Awards ceremony is traditionally held in October in a solemn ceremony presided over by the Kings of Spain and their daughters Leonor and Sofía. Each award is endowed with a sculpture by Joan Miró, an official diploma, an insignia and the cash prize of fifty thousand euros. In this edition, a total of 55 candidates from 30 nationalities were in the running for the Arts prize.
Patti Smith: icon of counterculture
The powerful mix of lyrical poetry, energy and rebellious fury of Patti Smith redefined the cultural landscape in the 1970s, paving the way for punk and inspiring countless artists. Radio stations welcomed with enthusiasm her song Because the Night, which she co-wrote with Bruce Springsteen, while her most devoted audience adored her captivating on-stage presence.
Patti Smith, during a concert in Madrid.
After a hiatus, she returned in the 1990s to open new paths, continuing with the creation of timeless art, including her acclaimed autobiography, Just Kids. The Princess of Asturias Awards jury notes that she began working at a very young age in a toy factory due to the economic difficulties faced by her family. In 1967 she moved to New York and worked as a bookseller, columnist and songwriter and playwright before beginning to succeed in music.
Patti Smith brought to the 1970s music scene an intellectual perspective and became one of the most influential artists in rock music. Since then, her career has transcended the boundaries of strictly musical to become a multidisciplinary communicator and iconoclast, according to the award organizers.
A versatile artist
Having become a cultural reference over the last five decades, Patti Smith has shone in various artistic manifestations such as poetry, photography, performance, or video installation. Gifted with extraordinary charisma, Smith has also linked her work to commitments to different political and social causes and is considered an icon of activism and the fight for civil rights.
She has staged exhibitions and published several books, and in late 2022 she presented at the Centre Pompidou in Paris a visual and sound installation inspired by Rimbaud, Artaud and Daumal. She continues to give concerts and poetry readings and collaborates with artists from various fields.
