This June 26, the Institut Français de Madrid hosted an essential event for the LGTBIQ+ community: the MADO 2025 Awards gala. An event that goes far beyond the spotlights and the show. Born in 2009, these awards recognize those who, from different fields, have worked—and continue to do so—for the rights, visibility and dignity of the group.
There are already many people and institutions that have received this award: from international leaders such as Stuart Milk, Kylie Minogue or Raffaella Carrà, to historical activists such as Jordi Petit or Carla Antonelli. Also spaces of memory, such as the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, and artists who have left their mark, such as Alaska or Conchita Wurst.
This year, the ceremony was presented by Topacio Fresh, and featured performances by Samantha Hudson, Luis Miguélez, Mylos, Astrid Jones and the unexpected, and improvised, performance of Cayetana Guillén Cuervo, who performed a techno version of the iconic song woman against woman by Mecano, now available on Spotify, according to the artist herself. But beyond the music, the true emotion was in the recognition of those who continue to build a more free, diverse and fair society.
Awards with history, faces with commitment
🏆 MADO Award to Col·lectiu Lambda (València)
One of the main awards of this edition goes to the Col·lectiu Lambda de València, an organization with almost four decades of experience. Their role has been crucial in the defense of LGTBIQ+ rights in the Valencian Community.
This recognition also comes at a particularly delicate moment for the movement in the region, and also becomes a gesture of support and affection towards those who continue to resist locally.
🏆 MADO Award to Cayetana Guillén Cuervo
Actress, communicator and president of the Academy of Performing Arts of Spain, Cayetana Guillén Cuervo has been a constant ally of Madrid Pride. Its commitment has not been limited to visibility: it has also promoted concrete agreements that connect art with the defense of diversity. This award recognizes both their public support and their institutional work for a more inclusive culture.
🏆 MADO Award to Samantha Hudson
Artist, performer, queer icon and non-binary trans voice. Samantha Hudson needs no introduction. Its impact on youth who do not fit into traditional molds has been—and continues to be—enormous. This award not only celebrates her career as a singer and actress, but also her brave activism, which makes many uncomfortable, but represents so many others who finally see themselves reflected in a more real mirror.
🏆 MADO Award to Pedro Zerolo (in memoriam)
This year marks 20 years of equal marriage in Spain, an achievement that changed lives and placed the country as a world reference in civil rights.
You cannot talk about that victory without mentioning Pedro Zerolo, tireless activist and politician, whose fight was decisive for this law to become a reality.
A decade after his death, MADO pays tribute to the man who made it possible for so many love stories to be recognized as such.
This year the organization wanted to reward our elders, who fought in times when speaking out was illegal, giving a prize to Paco, Paquita la Extremadura, a queer person very loved by the collective.
A gala with a collective spirit
Behind the event were AEGAL, FELGTBI+ and COGAM, entities that make up the MADO organizing committee. The gala also had the institutional support of the Madrid City Council, the Ministry of Equality, the Community of Madrid and the “50 years of Spain in Freedom” campaign. They were joined by sponsors such as Air Europa, Santander SMusic, Repsol, Sephora, Iberia, Jean Paul Gaultier, Sandevid and Quazzartech.
Some of the political guests: Yolanda Díaz, Rita maestre, Jimena González, Manuela Bergerot, Tesh Sidi, Santiago Rivero and Víctor Gutiérrez among others. José Fernández Sánchez, councilor for equality in the Madrid city council, also attended, who after receiving several nervous laughs in his incoherent speech decided to leave the gala.
