Starmus Foundation

Canary Islands – October 30, 2026 -- STARMUS VIII, the eighth edition of the science-and-music festival, ran for six days from 17 to 22 October 2026 across Tenerife and La Palma in Spain's Canary Islands.

Musicians and scientists share the same stage

The programme paired music with science. Sir Brian May played his Red Special guitar, and Andrea Bocelli and Sarah Brightman performed. Nobel Prize-winning scientists presented their discoveries.

NASA's Artemis II astronauts, who are preparing for humanity's return to the Moon, also took part. The festival, titled "The Search for Truth," included tributes to Stephen Hawking and Jane Goodall.

Two medals mark the festival's milestones

This year marked the 10th anniversary of the Stephen Hawking Medal for Science Communication. The festival also inaugurated the Jane Goodall Earth Medal, which links space exploration with protecting the planet.

Canary Islands – October 10, 2026 -- A Spanish STEM educator and an 11-year-old British wildlife campaigner will receive STARMUS VIII's two junior medals at the festival in Tenerife and La Palma, running 17 to 22 October 2026.

Valeria Corrales built a 240,000-subscriber STEM channel

Valeria Corrales, from Spain, will receive the Junior Stephen Hawking Medal for her work bringing science, programming and technology to young audiences. She co-founded the educational platform ValPat in 2018, at age ten, with her mentor Patricia Heredia.

ValPat has grown into a major Spanish-language STEM education platform with more than 750 videos and 240,000 YouTube subscribers. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Corrales and Heredia ran 100 consecutive days of free online STEM classes for thousands of children across Spain and Latin America.