The Award

The International Award Gerardo de Cremona for the Promotion of Translation in the Mediterranean was launched in 2015 by the Translators School of Toledo (University of Castilla-La Mancha) and the MED 21 Programme–Network Awards for promotion of Excellence and Cooperation in the Mediterranean, with the support of King Abdul-Aziz Foundation for Human Sciences and Islamic Studies (Casablanca, Morocco), and the City Council of Cremona (Italy).

The Award aims to contribute to strengthen the translation movement between the countries located on the north shore and those on the south shore of the Mediterranean, as translation is one of the most effective tools for intercultural dialogue and mutual understanding among peoples, because it helps to establish the foundations for exchange and solidarity and to reduce prejudices and ignorance, sources of violence and exclusion.

The purpose of the Award is honouring annually the significant contributions in the field of translation of individuals and institutions from both shores of the Mediterranean, and it is named after the famous translator born in Cremona (Italy) in 1114 and died in Toledo (Spain) in 1187, who translated from Arabic into Latin works by Avicenna, Al-Kindi, Al-Khwarizmi, Aristotle and Hippocrates, among others.

The Award is part of the MED21 Network of Awards for promotion of Excellence and Cooperation in the Mediterranean. The ceremonies of the Award are itinerant and are held annually and alternatively in Toledo, Casablanca and Cremona.

Trophy designed by Celia Garcia, School of Architecture, Toledo UCLM.
Trophy designed by Celia Garcia, School of Architecture, Toledo, UCLM.