Three women win the art prize named after a woman, and all thirty-two entries are on show

Her name was Elisa Betancort Delgado and she spent her life defending equality. The art prize that carries her name, run by the Mararía association with Arrecife council, has just handed out its 2026 edition at the Casa de la Cultura.

The three winners

• First prize: Olena Kosenko, for Raíces que respiran — roots that breathe.
• Second: Mayte Bethencourt, for Memoria e identidad.
• Third: Isabelle Mathieu, for Melifluo.

The jury was Mariola Acosta, Ildefonso Aguilar and Pedro Tayó, with María Isabel Navarro, Juli Mesa and Rosa Vera.

The part worth the trip

This is not three paintings and a handshake: thirty-two works are on show at the Casa de la Cultura — every piece entered. It is the best way to look at a prize: not only who won, but who they were up against.

Why it exists

Councillor Echedey Eugenio said it at the ceremony: Elisa Betancort's record «always defended equality», and this competition keeps that memory alive. Nieves Rosa Hernández, president of Mararía, thanked the entrants and remembered the family. The prizes were handed over by the social welfare councillor, Maite Corujo; the department run by Abigail González supports the scheme.

An art prize named after a woman who did politics for equality, won by three women, on an island where art prizes can be counted on one hand. Worth the half-hour it takes to see.

Casa de la Cultura Agustín de la Hoz, Arrecife. Entry is free.