Spain’s Ministry of Culture has awarded Leandre Ribera its 2026 National Circus Award and €30,000. The jury cited his international career, teaching and influence on younger clowns.
The jury reached its decision on 8 October 2026. It awarded Leandre Ribera Spain’s National Circus Award, which comes with €30,000 from the Ministry of Culture.
The honour recognises six decades of work rooted in silent cinema, mime and the theatre of the absurd. It also puts the Barcelona artist’s teaching and artistic influence at the centre of one of Spain’s main circus distinctions.
Ribera’s career does not rest on a single production. The jury described him as an international benchmark in clowning and gestural theatre. His work crosses classical circus and contemporary circus, while also reaching street performance.
Several generations of clowns in Spain have drawn on that work.
Born in Barcelona in 1966, Ribera has built his career as both a clown and a director, working through the companies La Tal and Leandre Clown.
The Ministry’s decision also turns on Ribera’s willingness to pass professional knowledge to younger artists. Its announcement describes his view of the stage as unique and sensitive.
Comic precision runs through his work. So do rhythm and the poetic use of objects. The official statement links those qualities to the 2025 productions Gota, Triplette, Woof and UFA. The shows were praised for their gestural humour, with dramatic expression given a central role in the circus.
His professional footprint reaches across companies and formats. Ribera was a founding member of La Tal. He later created Leandre Clown, the company through which his work travelled across Spain and internationally.
His credits include Fragile. He made Madame et Monsieur with Claire Ducreux. Dèmodès came through La Tal. Solo-led productions include Chez Leandre, Street-tease and Desbandad.
Before receiving the national award, Ribera was recognised for Rodó, a production created for the winter circus at Ateneu Popular de Nou Barris in collaboration with Teresa Celis. His earlier honours also include the Zirkòlika award in 2013 and the Ciutat de Barcelona Circus Award in 2014.
The catalogue also includes N´importe quoi and Fly me to the moon, both associated with Leandre Clown. Home was created with Cris Clown.
Home won the Audience Award at the 2025 International Performing Arts Fair for children, young people and families. Ribera received the FETÉ award for best production for Home in 2023.
His record of prizes stretches back well before the national honour. Ribera won the National Award of Catalonia for Best Circus Show in 2006. He received the Catalan Circus Award for Best Street Show in 2010.
The Zirkólika Award for Best Stage Direction followed in 2013. The Ciutat de Barcelona Circus Award came in 2014. Recognition for Rodó places his work alongside established circus institutions and collaborative projects.
In its coverage, Deia described the decision as recognition of Ribera’s standing as a performer and director. His role as a mentor also reaches beyond his own appearances.
The award arrives during a wider year of national cultural honours in Spain. Another 2026 award has placed a long-running artistic career alongside a recent body of work. In Ribera’s case, the Ministry’s citation connects established technique, new productions and the transmission of knowledge.
Ribera succeeds the Galician company Pistacatro, which received the National Circus Award in 2025. This year’s decision focuses on an artist whose career spans companies, collaborations and solo performances. It recognises clowning as a performance language and a sustained professional practice.
National Circus Awards recognise the work of Spanish circus professionals and organisations in Spain and abroad. Ribera’s awards, international work, recent productions and commitment to younger artists provide the record behind the 2026 distinction.
