The University of Cádiz awards its first prizes for undergraduate and master’s theses focused on Carnival 6 November 2025
The Carnival Chair awards the ‘Ramón Solís’ prizes to a thesis by Socorro López focused on masculinity in the COAC and to a research project by Montserrat Pacheco that incorporates a political perspective
The University of Cádiz’s Carnival Chair has announced the results of the first edition of the Ramón Solís Research Awards on Carnival, an initiative aimed at students from Spanish universities who have completed undergraduate (TFG) or master’s (TFM) theses on any aspect of this cultural phenomenon. These awards are financially supported by the Provincial Council of Cádiz through a specific grant dedicated to this program.
In this inaugural edition, a total of eight papers were submitted from the Universidad Carlos III de Madrid, Universidad de Sevilla, Universidad Pablo de Olavide, Universitat Jaume I de Castellón, Universidad Miguel Hernández de Elche, Universidad de Córdoba, and Universidad Complutense de Madrid. Interestingly, the Evaluation Committee noted that none of the works came from the University of Cádiz itself.
The jury was composed of Estrella Fernández (University of Seville), Elena Merino (International University of La Rioja), Felipe Barbosa (Carnival Culture Forum), and José Marchena (University of Cádiz), with coordination by Alberto Ramos Santana, director of the Carnival Chair, who participated with voice but without vote.
In the Master’s Thesis category, the first prize went to María Socorro López García for her work Masculinities on Stage: Domination and Deconstruction in the Official Contest of Carnival Groups of Cádiz, presented in the Interuniversity Master’s Degree in Gender Equality in the Public and Private Spheres (Universitat Jaume I and Universidad Miguel Hernández). The Committee highlighted its originality, rigor, and academic approach, as well as its precise application of gender concepts to the carnival universe.
The second prize in this category was awarded to Gonzalo Lancharro Montiel for his thesis Spain’s Transition before the Mirror of the Cádiz Carnival: From Adolfo Suárez to Pedro Romero, completed within the Master’s in Advanced Historical Studies at the University of Seville. The jury praised its novelty, depth of analysis, and the strength of its conclusions.
In the Undergraduate Thesis category, the first prize went to Montserrat Pacheco Sánchez-Prieto from the Universidad Carlos III de Madrid, for her work The Cádiz Carnival: Beyond Humor. Political Expression through the COAC 2025, presented in the Double Degree in Law and Political Science. The Committee emphasized the precision of her ideological analysis and the innovative perspective with which she examines the relationship between politics and carnival.
The second prize in this category was awarded to Lidia Román Villalba, from the Universidad Pablo de Olavide, for Between Couplets and Masks: A Sociocultural Analysis of the Cádiz Carnival 2025, a research project based on interviews that provides an enriching view of the festival’s sociocultural context.
After reviewing the evaluation report, the Monitoring Committee of the Carnival Chair approved the final resolution. Each prize includes a financial award (€600 and €350 for the Master’s Theses; €350 and €200 for the Undergraduate Theses) and an official certificate.
The award’s name pays tribute to Ramón Solís Llorente (Cádiz, 1923–Madrid, 1978), a key figure in local historiography and one of the foremost scholars of the Cádiz Carnival at both national and international levels. His book Coros y chirigotas. Carnaval de Cádiz, published in 1966 by Taurus, was a critical and popular success that played a decisive role in spreading awareness of the unique character of Cádiz’s Carnival beyond the local sphere. The book’s reissue in 1988 by the Madrid-based publisher Sílex attests to its continued relevance. Although earlier works, such as Adolfo Vila Valencia’s Alegrías de Cádiz o historia exacta de su antiguo carnaval (published nearly a decade earlier), had explored the subject, it was Solís who managed to connect the popular spirit of the festival with a broader and more modern understanding of its cultural significance.