Por Redaccion 
Once again, the Assembly Hall of the Benidorm City Council hosted the twenty-second edition of the Drawing and Painting Contest organized by the Cultural and Recreational Association ‘La Barqueta’. This contest is aimed at Primary Education students and is held annually with the support of the Culture and Education departments to commemorate the anniversary of the Discovery of the Virgin of the Sufragio, the patron saint of Benidorm.
The event had a full house, with 110 children awarded in various categories receiving gift packs provided by the City Council and collaborating entities.
The ceremony was attended by Mayor Toni Pérez, as well as council members from the departments involved in the contest, Jaime Jesús Pérez and Maite Moreno, along with other members of the municipal corporation. Also present were the queens of the 2024 Festes Majors Patronals, Paula Pascual Sánchez and Aitana Pérez Gutiérrez, as well as the president of ACR La Barqueta, Francisco Llorens.
A total of 1,746 drawings were submitted by students from most schools in the city for this twenty-second edition, with 305 works selected and displayed at the Casa del Fester Diego Cano Enguera.
Mayor Pérez addressed the audience, emphasizing the long-standing nature of the contest and congratulating all participants. He thanked La Barqueta for their efforts and reminded everyone of the upcoming 285th anniversary of the Discovery of Benidorm’s patron saint, encouraging attendance at the weekend events.
The CEIP Bautista Lledó, Costa Blanca International College, and Nuestra Señora de los Dolores were awarded €300 each by the City Council for submitting the most drawings from Benidorm schools. The awards were presented by La Barqueta executive Batiste Rostoll, followed by Mayor Toni Pérez, Councilor for Culture Jaime Jesús Pérez, and Councilor for Education Maite Moreno.
In terms of prizes, the jury of the twenty-second Drawing and Painting Contest by La Barqueta awarded the first prize in the first cycle of Primary Education to Mateo de Hoces García from Nuestra Señora de los Dolores. The second prize went to Chloe Sellés Leonte and the third to María Vázquez Gómez, both from the same school. The cycle also saw honorable mentions awarded to Miguel Vázquez Gómez (Nª Sª de los Dolores), Bella Bencoscaia (Miguel Hernández), Shihua Lin (Nª Sª de los Dolores), and María Casagrande Sola (Nª Sª de los Dolores).
In the second cycle of Primary Education, the top prize was won by Rocío Parra Tarancón from Colegio Internacional Lope de Vega. Second place went to Martín Fuentes Amor (Nª Sª de los Dolores) and third place to Sara García van Hoocten (Nª Sª de los Dolores). Honorable mentions were awarded to Kenia Navarro Calderón (Nª Sª de los Dolores), Emma Castiblanque (Lope de Vega), Víctor Miguel Ramos (Nª Sª de los Dolores), and Leonor Vázquez Romero (Nª Sª de los Dolores).
Finally, in the third cycle, Cris Navarro Casillas from CEIP La Cala took the top prize ahead of Ylia Khivrych (Miguel Hernández) and Edurne Sánchez de Pablo (Colegio Ausias March). Honorable mentions were given to Elvira Repepskaiz (Lope de Vega), Coco Ruike Zhao (Nª Sª de los Dolores), Ainhara Pérez Guillén (Nª Sª de los Dolores), and Sara Martínez Blanco (Costa Blanca International College).
Additionally, ACR La Barqueta awarded 11 prizes to students with Special Education needs who participated in this edition of the contest. It was also decided that the artwork submitted by Catalina Malan Vione, a student from the third cycle of Primary Education at Colegio Leonor Canalejas, will be featured on the poster for the twenty-third edition of the contest in 2026.