Premios Juventud 2026 in Marbella, Spain

Farruko- Reggaeton artist. Photo Diana Sierra

PJ Fest - Premios Juventud Marbella - 3rd September 2026

Contemporary music and dance festivals in Andalucia

By Diana Sierra

For the first time ever, in over two decades, the iconic award show, Premios Juventud was flown from its home in Miami all the way to Marbella. The celebration features the biggest names in Latin music and entertainment, which this year all came together on 3 September at Starlite festival site.

From popular social media stars like Lola Lolita and Plex, global superstars of the likes of Bad Bunny and Karol G, to absolute legends in the film and music industry such as Antonio Banderas and Alejandro Sanz, the 2026 nominees did not disappoint. Here is who took the prizes home and how the first European Premios Juventud went down!

Background to the event

The 2026 edition of Premios Juventud expanded to become PJ Fest, a major six-day celebration. Rather than a typical sit-down awards ceremony, PJ Fest brings together concerts, special events, and experiences in various cities across the United States and Spain. The six-day programme came to its grand finale with the 23rd edition of the Premios Juventud, which took place for the first time, in Marbella.

Historically celebrated in Miami, Premios Juventud has been an annual awards ceremony since 2004. The winners are chosen by public vote, with an extensive array of awards covering music, entertainment, television and digital culture.

The arrival of PJ Fest to Marbella on the Costa del Sol marked an important step in the international expansion of this event, traditionally associated with the US Hispanic market.

For those who are less familiar with the Premios Juventud, here is a guide to the event, its nominees, winners and the Marbella ceremony.

Premios Juventud experience

For the full Premios Juventud experience we must take you back to the very beggining. Listening to the fans in the queue and the loud chants and singing on the shuttle buses, it's hard not to get excited. With accents from all over the world and predictions of the night ahead, the audience was buzzing before the show had even begun.

Melody- Seville Singer. Photo Diana Sierra

The restaurants at Starlite, such as the Mexican restaurant Ánima and the Mediterranean-style grill restaurant Temazo, were full of people filling up, getting ready for the long night ahead of them.

The live broadcast event began with the Red Carpet/Night of Stars, which was hosted by Spanish presenter Jesús Vázquez. This was his debut as the ceremony's host, alongside figures such as Mexican TV host Alejandra Espinoza and Dominican actress Clarissa Molina.

The gala also featured several other presenters, including viral TikTok sisters, Lola Lolita and Sofía Surfers, Spanish TV personality Borja Voces, Cuban presenter Jorge Bernal, Mexican actress and singer Paulina Goto and host Jomari Goyso.

Differing slightly from other awards shows in the industry, Premios Juventud not only praises long-standing and major success in the music and entertainment industry, but also the social and positive impact the nominees have on future generations.

Through this, Four ‘Agent of Change’ awards were presented. To Antonio Banderas, for his Foundation, Lágrimas y Favores, a social impact vehicle in Málaga; Yandel, as an advocate for mental healt awareness, education initiatives and a supporter of new Latino talent. Marc Anthony, for his philanthropic work with Maestro Cares Foundation benefiting children from Latin America and the US, as well as his role in supporting Venezuela since the recent earthaquaks, and finally, La Oreja de Van Gogh, due to their support for social causes, including their charity campaign Guitarras Solidarias and charitable concerts, Cadena 100 Por Ellas and Ay Haití.

The gala opened with a performance of ‘Marbella Nights’ by Farruko, Juan Magán and DJ Rous, followed by sets from Santos Bravos, Quevedo and Marc Anthony, who got the crowd dancing.

Santos Bravo- Boy Band. Photo Diana Sierra

The power of Latin music was evident in the euphoria sweeping through the stands. The crowd cheered excitedly as the Canary Island star Quevedo and pop singer Manuel Carrasco appeared on stage. However, the real shift in atmosphere began when the opening chords of legendary artists Marc Anthony and Wisin echoed across the venue. Whether you were young or old, everyone lept to dance to the anthems many have grown up listening to.

The venue was lit up by the crowd and fans eager to capture and film the artists performances and moments of pure pop nostalgia to be able to look back at the possibly once in a lifetime opportunity.

But beyond the allure of well-known artists, the festival's true triumph lay in its ability to serve as a platform for discovery. There was a palpable sense of surprise and excitement among the crowds in the general admission area as the industry’s rising stars took to the stage.

The audience immediately connected with Aria Vega's Caribbean magnetism, which won her the title of La Nueva Generación Femenina; Omar Camacho's authentic sound, which won him the title of La Nueva Generación Música Mexicana; and Santos Bravos's electrifying stage presence. Seeing thousands of people dance to artists that may not have featured on their playlists prior to the festival was a powerful reminder that Latin music continues to expand with remarkable generational force, far from standing still.

The 2026 edition showcases the work of 338 artists, who have been nominated in 50 different categories.

The main Premios Juventud 2026 award winners were.

Female Artist - SHAKIRA
Male Artist - BAD BUNNY
Favorite Group or Duo of The Year - SANTOS BRAVOS
New Generation Female Artist - ARIA VEGA
New Generation Male Artist - SANTOS BRAVOS
New Generation Mexican Music - OMAR CAMACHO
My Favorite Track - ME ESTÁ DOLIENDO by CARÍN LEÓN & ALEJANDRO FERNÁNDEZ
Album of the Year - TROPICOQUETA by KAROL G
Best Euro-Song - SUPERESTRELLA by AITANA
Girl Power - FIFTY FIFTY by KENIA OS & LOLA INDIGO

Read the full list of 50 nomination categories and winners with artists

The following artists performed in person at Premios Juventud Marbella 2026: Wisin, Yandel, Santos Bravos, Natael Cano, Manuel Carrasco, Do Not Disturb, Camilo, Aria Vega, Ángela Aguilar, Ana Mena, Christian Nodal, Elvis Crespo, Farruko, Greeicy, Juan Magán, Marc Anthony, Mau y Ricky, Quevedo, DJ Rous, La Oreja de Van Gogh, Silvestre Dangond, Elena Rose, Eladio Carrión, Camila Fernández, Alleh, Morat.

Read a brief bio of each artist to find out more about their role at the 2026 Premios Juventud in Marbella.

Why Marbella?

The decision to bring Premios Juventud to Marbella reflects the city's position as a destination for international tourism and entertainment events. The Costa del Sol is known for its Mediterranean climate and developed hospitality infrastructure, which has helped attract global visitors and cultural and music events.

The ceremony took take place at Marbella Starlite Occident, a venue that regularly hosts international artists during the summer season. The arrival of Premios Juventud adds another music production to Marbella’s cultural calendar and highlights the connection between Latin music and European destinations with tourism and entertainment industries.

History of Premios Juventud

Premios Juventud was launched in 2004 as an awards ceremony celebrating Hispanic youth culture, music, and entertainment in the United States. Unlike more traditional award shows, the winners are chosen by public vote.

After many years associated with Miami, the ceremony began expanding internationally. In 2022, it was held in Puerto Rico for the first time, followed by Panama City in 2025, marking the first edition staged outside the United States or Puerto Rico. This year, Bad Bunny was among the night's winners, taking home three awards in the urban music categories.

The Marbella edition marks the first time Premios Juventud has brought its main ceremony to Europe, opening a new chapter in the awards’ international history.

First Edition in Europe: Marbella 2026

For the first time in the event's history, the main ceremony will cross the Atlantic and take place in Europe. The 2026 edition was be held in Marbella, Spain, at the Starlite Occident venue on 3 September 2026

The Marbella ceremony formed part of the inaugural PJ Fest, a new six-day celebration of Latin music and culture taking place across the United States and Spain from 29 August to 3 September. The programme includes events in Miami, Houston and Los Angeles before culminating in the Premios Juventud ceremony in Marbella.

Global Broadcast

The broadcast of the Marbella ceremony has been designed to reach audiences on both sides of the Atlantic. For the United States and Latin America, the event will be broadcast by TelevisaUnivision through its established television networks, including Univision, UNIMÁS and Galavisión, as well as its global streaming platform ViX.

For Europe, and particularly Spain, TVE (Spanish national television) broadcast the event live at home and internationally through their network. Atresmedia has also joined the distribution of this landmark edition.

Award Categories

Premios Juventud featured 50 categories spanning Latin music, entertainment, television, digital creators and emerging talent. Alongside music awards, the 2026 edition included categories such as Album of the Year, My Favorite Track, The Perfect Collab, or Best Euro-Song.

The winners were chosen through public voting which took place on the Premios Juventud website up to 10th August 2026. The organisers select special distinctions such as Agent of Change.

Read the full list of 50 nominations categories with artists

Nominations and Leading Artists

The 2026 edition featured 50 award categories and attracted nominations for some of the biggest names in Latin music and entertainment. Carín León lead the nominations with nine, followed by Beéle, Kany García and Rauw Alejandro with seven each.

Marc Anthony and Yandel had been announced prior to the event as recipients of the 2026 Agent of Change recognition, honouring their commitment to social causes and future generations.

Read the full list of 338 nominated artists and their categories

The Starlite Festival Context

The Premios Juventud ceremony took place at the Starlite Festival complex in Marbella just after the 2026 Starlite Festival season concluded. The timing placed the Premios Juventud within Marbella’s summer entertainment calendar, although the focus was on the television broadcast. Almost all of the 3.500 seat were sold mainly to latin music fans from Andalucia, Spain and abroad, rather than tourists or resident of Marbella. The host hotel was the METT in Estepona.