Canary Islands

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.

Canary Islands, Spain – September 28, 2026 -- The four astronauts of NASA's Artemis II mission — Commander Reid Wiseman, Pilot Victor Glover, and Mission Specialists Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen — will receive the Stephen Hawking Medal for Science Communication on October 17, 2026, during the opening of STARMUS VIII in Santa Cruz de Tenerife.

The crew turned a lunar mission into a global science lesson

Organizers cite the astronauts' use of interviews, social media, live communications, educational initiatives and public appearances to explain the science and technology behind Artemis II. STARMUS says the crew went beyond technical milestones, sharing the preparation, risks, teamwork and international cooperation behind the mission, and helped younger audiences engage with science and space exploration.