Cantaor Rubito Hijo, tocaor Antonio Rey and bailaora Fuensanta la Moneta rise to the podium at the

The 'Lámpara Minera', 'Bordón Minero' and 'El Desplante' awards now have owners. The jury for the cante, toque and baile contests of La Unión's Las Minas Cante Festival has designated Sevillian cantaor Rubito Hijo, Madrilenian guitarist Antonio Rey Navas and Granada-born bailaora Fuensanta la Moneta as winners of the forty-third edition. Some ten other newcoming artists, chosen from among around a hundred aspirants, receive the secondary prizes of La Unión's reputed flamenco competition.

Rubito Hijo, the son of Rubito de la Pará, won the disputed first prize for mineras at the 2003 Las Minas Festival, awarded nine thousand euros and the 'Lámpara Minera'. The young cantaor, born in 1981 in La Puebla de Cazalla (Seville), completes with this trophy the long list of awards already dotting his career, including the First Prize for Youth of the Las Minas Cante Contest in 2002. Second prize for mineras went to Raúl Montesinos, also from the same area as José Menese, winner of several saeta and cante contests in Andalusian festivals.

At the same time, Guillermo Cano, cantaor from the Huelva town of Bollullos del Condado, nicknamed Niño del Romero, accumulated two prizes, for cartageneras and for tarantas. The mention for murcianas and other cantes mineros went to Granada-born Juan Pinilla. Cantaor Bonela Hijo, a usual participant on the contest circuit, received the prize for malagueñas; Extremadura-born Miguel de Tena, that of other cantes from Málaga, Granada and Córdoba; Córdoba-born David Pino, that of tonás, seguiriyas and soleares; and Cádiz-born Nazaret Cala, that of other Lower Andalusian cantes. In the cante section, there was also a prize for fourteen-year-old Huelva-born cantaor Álvaro Díaz Carrellán, who won the Prize for Young Cantaores with a cante through mineras.

Of the three guitar finalists attending the old market of the Murcia town from August 13th to the 16th, it was Antonio Rey Navas who managed to win the 'Bordón Minero' and a cash prize of three thousand euros. The guitarist, born in Madrid in 1981, is a member of the New Spanish Ballet. In this twenty-fourth edition of the guitar contest, second prize went to Sevillian Juan Antonio Silva Campallo, the brother of bailaor Rafael Campallo.

The tenth bailaora awarded La Unión's 'El Desplante' was nearly twenty-year-old Granada-born Fuensanta la Moneta, an artist forged in the 'La Rocío' cave of Sacromonte. Second prize went to the bailaora from the Sevillian town of Écija, María José Gómez Torres, a participant in the show 'Contrabandistas' with which David Morales competed in Seville's 2002 Bienal de Flamenco. Left empty-handed were some ten aspirants, among whom could be found two Japanese pupils of Japanese dancer and businesswoman Yoko Komatsubara.

In addition to these prizes are those received by Andrés Cegarra Salcedo for best cante de minera lyrics and by Antonio Rincón Muñiz for best lyrics in other categories. With the award ceremony gala held at the so-called 'cante cathedral' on Saturday, August 16th, the forty-third edition was concluded of the Las Minas International Cante Festival, which filled life in La Unión to the brim with flamenco not only with its rich bill of galas, but also through the extensive related activities organized, with room for exhibits, round-table discussions, album presentations such as 'The New School of Flamenco Guitar' produced by Gerardo Núñez and 'De Mimbre' ('Of Wicker'), by cantaora Rocío Díaz; book presentations, such as 'Flamenco Explained Simply' by Carlos Arbelos and 'Manuel Vallejo. The Life and Work of a Flamenco Legend' by Manuel Cerrejón; film showings, late-night cante recitals and even gastronomy days, besides a gala in the hands of last year's three winners: Manuel Cuevas on cante, Antonio Soto on guitar and Ángeles Gabaldón on baile.