On November 20, 2025, the Ministry of Cultures, Arts and Knowledge and the National Library of Colombia will present the 10th National Public Libraries Award “Daniel Samper Ortega”. The ceremony will recognize the excellence and social impact of the winning libraries. The event will take place at the BNC with free entry and online streaming.
The National Public Libraries Award “Daniel Samper Ortega” has established itself over ten years as a key recognition for highlighting the excellence, commitment, and social impact of libraries in the development of Colombian communities. Organized by the Ministry of Cultures, Arts and Knowledge and the National Library of Colombia (BNC), the tenth edition will be presented on Thursday, November 20, 2025.
The ceremony will be held at the BNC, with free public entry. It will also be live-streamed on the YouTube and Facebook accounts of the library and the National Network of Public Libraries (Rnbp). During the event, the three winning libraries will be announced among the nine finalists, showcasing their work, services, and contribution to community development.
Notable attendees include Culture Minister Yannai Kadamani; Japanese Ambassador to Colombia Takasugi Masahiro; BNC Director Adriana Martínez-Villalba; representatives from the finalist libraries; and the three jurors: writer and reader trainer Irene Vasco; writer, essayist, and professor Beatriz Helena Robledo; and researcher and professor at the Inter-American School of Librarianship at the University of Antioquia, Natalia Duque.
Adriana Martínez-Villalba, director of the National Library, emphasized the award's importance: “the award has become a window into the deepest aspects of library action and to recognize the enormous work that library staff carry out across the country to make public libraries vital spaces that deeply connect with the realities and needs of their communities”.