Ana Maria Bordas ( the ESC Reference Group Chairperson) has been awarded the prestigious Joan Ramon Mainat 2025 FestVal Award for her impecable and extraordinary professional career.
Ana Maria Bordas’ career spans over 40 years, having worked in numerous projects and positions both on the radio and television. Ana Maria Bordas is the newly elect Eurovision Song Contest Reference Group Chairperson and RTVE’s Head of Production and Content.
Ana Maria Bordas is no new face when it comes to the Eurovision Song Contest as she has served as the Spanish Head of Delegation from 2017-2021 and from 2023-2025. She has also been the co-director of Benidorm Fest from 2022-2025 and was the Executive Producer of the 2024 Junior Song Contest in Madrid. Bordas is also part of the Junior Eurovision Steering Group.
The 17th edition of the Festval Awards was held at the Palacio de Congresos Europa de Vitoria-Gasteiz in Vitoria, Spain.
Ana Maria Bordas received the prestigious award from Ms. Maria Eizaguirre Comendador, the Head of Communication and Participation at RTVE at the Awards Ceremony.
Ana Maria Bordas says:
Thanks to RTVE for allowing me to develop my career in many places and giving me many opportunities, now also in Europe.And thanks to my professional colleagues at RTVE, who are wonderful, and to RTVE’s senior management, because they encourage us every day.
RTVE’s press release reads:
Ana María Bordas, currently Director of Content Production at RTVE and President of the EBU Reference Group for Eurovision, has collected the 2025 Joan Ramón Mainat Award from FesTVal “for embodying an impeccable professional career, marked by leadership, innovation, public service, and international relevance.” The television competition recognized not only her achievements and career, but also the impact she has had on the projection of Spanish public television, her leadership capacity, and her groundbreaking role as a woman in senior positions within public broadcasting.
RTVE’s press release continues to read:
In her current role at RTVE, she oversees the areas of entertainment, magazines, society and culture, children’s and youth programming, and new formats. She will combine this position for the next two years with that of Chairperson of the EBU Reference Group for Eurovision, a position that entails overseeing, approving, and making key decisions regarding the organization and development of Europe’s most important music competition.
In this role, Bordas has been head of the Spanish Eurovision delegation since 2017 and has been a member of the Junior Eurovision steering group since 2021, demonstrating her fundamental role in RTVE’s strategy for EBU festivals. She was also the executive producer of the last edition of Junior Eurovision, held in Madrid in 2024.
RTVE’s press release concludes:
Throughout her extensive career at RTVE, spanning more than 40 years, Ana María Bordas has served as news editor, head of news, and correspondent for RNE in Washington. She has also held various management positions at RNE and TVE for more than 20 years, becoming the first woman to lead RNE in Catalonia, director of La 2, director of programming, and director of the Catalonia Production Center.
