14-Year-Old Valentina Guerra Wins Catalan Category in Andorra's 18th Coca-Cola Short Story Award

Valentina Guerra, a 14-year-old student at Escola Andorrana de Segona Ensenyança d'Ordino, claimed first prize in the Catalan category of the 18th Andorran Coca-Cola Short Story Award. The event drew almost 800 entries from 14-year-olds across Andorra's schools, with submissions in Catalan, Spanish, or French inspired by a given creative prompt.

The awards presentation took place Wednesday afternoon in the auditorium of the Aixovall Professional Training Centre. Josep Anton Bardina, Secretary of State for Education and Universities, oversaw the ceremony, arranged by Coca-Cola European Partners and local distributor Disand, alongside the Ministry of Institutional Relations, Education, and Universities.

Teachers on the initial jury advanced 142 finalists: 75 in Catalan, 45 in Spanish, and 22 in French. A second panel—including philologist and writer M. Teresa Cairat, writer Txema Díaz-Torrent, and writer and historian Albert Villaró—selected the top entries. Winners received tablets, runners-up headphones, and third-place finishers cameras. Student performers from Escola de Música Moderna d’Oriol Vilella provided three musical interludes.

Other Catalan winners included Maria Martí from Col·legi Sagrada Família in Escaldes-Engordany in second place and Lluc Ara from Escola Andorrana de Segona Ensenyança d'Ordino in third.

In French, Jana Ribera from Lycée Comte de Foix took first, followed by Tiare Foix from the same school in second and Àlex Capdevila from Escola Andorrana de Segona Ensenyança d'Ordino in third.

The Spanish category went to Maria de Sousa from Escola Andorrana de Segona Ensenyança d'Encamp for first, with Cayetana Carreras and Claudia Parra from Col·legi Mare Janer in Santa Coloma placing second and third.