The
UIMP Gold Medal was designed in 1983 by sculptor Julio López Hernández.
The Medal is a gorgeous 5,91 per 5,51 inches table-sculpture made in
bronze.
Each copy is an original multiply carried out at the sculptor’s studio.
The Medal portraits a female’s face and her mirror image. The female is
holding a poetry book on her hands.
Pedro Salinas’ words “Las sombras que forjamos en este inmenso lecho de
distancias”(The shadows that we forge in this immense bed of distance)
are written around the figure. Pedro Salinas was Secretary General of
the University.
The name Universidad Internacional Menéndez Pelayo appears on the
obverse accompanied by the Magdalena Palace and the Santillana del Mar
Collegiate Church carved in hollow relief.
The UIMP honorary medal was introduced to grant special recognition to individuals, corporations or groups, both domestic and foreign, who stand out in scientific research, education, arts and literature or who have rendered services to the country’s cultural interests. Only the Board of Directors, at the request of the President of the University, may authorize the award of the honorary medal.
Since 1980 UIMP pays tribute to prominent figures and institutions awarding the honorary medal to, among others
CAMILO JOSÉ CELA, NURIA ESPERT, SALVADOR ESPRIU, FRANCISCO FRANDE COVIÁN, RICARDO GULLÓN, JOSÉ LUIS LÓPEZ ARANGUREN, EDWARD MALEFAKIS, JOSÉ ANTONIO ORTEGA Y DIAZ AMBRONA, SOLITA SALINAS, FEDERICO SOPEÑA, ENRIQUE TIERNO GALVÁN, MANUEL TUÑÓN DE LARA, JULIO CARO BAROJA, ALFREDO KRAUS, VITTORIO GASSMAN, FERNANDO ZOBEL DE AYALA, DÁMASO ALONSO, SERGIU CELIBIDACHE, SIR RAYMOND CARR, JOHN H. ELLIOT, GREGORIO VARELA MOSQUERA, PALOMA O'SHEA, UNIVERSIDAD CENTROAMERICANA "JOSÉ SIMEON CAÑAS" DE EL SALVADOR, ANTONIO SAURA ATARÉS, VICTORIA DE LOS ANGELES LÓPEZ, EULALIO FERRER RODRÍGUEZ, JOSÉ MANUEL BLECUA TEIJEIRO, FERNANDO LÁZARO CARRETER, KARL PRIBRAM, ANTONIO LÓPEZ GARCÍA, NORMAN FOSTER, ANTONIO DOMÍNGUEZ ORTIZ, JOSÉ SARAMAGO, FRANCISCO AYALA, ANGEL LUIS ROJO, JULIO LÓPEZ HERNÁNDEZ, EDUARDO GARCÍA DE ENTERRÍA, RODRIGO URÍA GONZÁLEZ, ERNEST LLUCH MARTÍ, NICOLE FONTAINE, JOAQUÍN RUIZ-GIMÉNEZ, JUAN ANTONIO BARDEM, MARGARITA SALAS FALGUERAS, VÍCTOR GARCÍA DE LA CONCHA, JOSÉ ANTONIO MUÑOZ ROJAS, LUIS GARCÍA-BERLANGA, JOSÉ LUIS SAMPEDRO SÁEZ, JORGE SEMPRUN, RAMÓN MARTÍN MATEO, SANTANDER CITY COUNCIL.