The Premios Juventud Latin music awards are taking place in Marbella, southern Spain, marking the first time in the ceremony's more than two-decade history that the event is hosted in Europe.
Organized by Spanish-language media company TelevisaUnivision in partnership with venue operator Starlite Marbella, the gala brings together more than 200 nominees across 50 categories to celebrate Hispanic music and culture.
Mexican regional music singer Carín León leads all artists with nine nominations for this year's edition. Colombian singer Beéle, Puerto Rican singer-songwriter Kany García, and Puerto Rican urban artist Rauw Alejandro follow closely behind with seven candidacies each.
Nine additional performers secured six nominations apiece: Eladio Carrión, Farruko, Karol G, Manuel Turizo, Ovy On The Drums, Quevedo, Romeo Santos, Shakira, and Xavi.
Performers and Special Recognition
The inaugural European edition features more than 250 invited artists at the Starlite Marbella venue, along with roughly 25 live performances and appearances by leading Hispanic digital content creators. Confirmed stage performers include Marc Anthony, Quevedo, Morat, Manuel Carrasco, Camilo, Ana Mena, Yandel, Wisin, Christian Nodal, Ángela Aguilar, Farruko, and Spanish pop band La Oreja de Van Gogh.
The ceremony honors achievements across 50 categories spanning music, television, streaming platforms, digital content creation, and pop culture. A new category, Creator de España, was created for this edition to recognize digital talent based in Spain.
The event also includes the Agente de Cambio, or Agent of Change, award, which recognizes individuals and groups who contribute to the betterment of their communities. This year's honorees are Spanish actor Antonio Banderas, pop-rock group La Oreja de Van Gogh, salsa artist Marc Anthony, and reggaeton singer Yandel.
The awards gala forms part of the broader PJ Fest, which continues after the main ceremony. Festival programming includes scheduled performances by Wisin on September 4 and Manuel Carrasco on September 5 at the Starlite Marbella location. Marbella is a resort city in Andalusia, southern Spain, famous for its Mediterranean coastline.
Dominican Republic Nominations
Artists from the Dominican Republic maintain a major presence in key categories, reflecting the global popularity of musical styles including bachata, merengue, dembow, and urban music.
Bachata singer Romeo Santos leads the Dominican contingent with multiple nominations, primarily driven by his collaboration with Prince Royce. The duo received nominations for Album of the Year for Better Late Than Never, Tropical Mix for Lokita por mí, Tropical Hit for Dardos, and Best Tour for the Mejor Tarde Que Nunca Tour. Santos was also nominated individually for Male Premios Juventud Artist.
In the Tropical Mix category, Juan Luis Guerra 4.40 was nominated for Amor bonito with Kany García, while Kiko El Crazy earned a nomination for Me muevo featuring Fariana. José Alberto "El Canario" was nominated for A Celia alongside Lena Burke, La India, Gilberto Santa Rosa, Gonzalo Rubalcaba, Cucco Peña, and Víctor Manuelle.
Dominican performers heavily feature in the Best Dembow Song category. Nominations include Natti Natasha for Dem Bow featuring Nando Boom and Dímelo Flow, El Alfa for Hace calor featuring María Becerra and Xross, Kiko El Crazy for Me muevo featuring Fariana, Tokischa for Miami, Lomiiel for Pa' que lo bailes (Báilalo Rocky), and Jey One alongside La Más Doll for Saca punta featuring Arlene MC. Natti Natasha is also nominated for Female Premios Juventud Artist.
Rapper Tokischa secured two additional nominations: Girl Power for Muxaxa featuring La Más Doll, and OMG Collaboration for Thootie featuring American rapper Ice Spice. Singer-songwriter Juan Luis Guerra 4.40 also earned an OMG Collaboration nomination for Estrellitas y duendes featuring British musician Sting. In urban categories, J Noa was nominated in Best Urban Trap Song for Yeh!, while Shadow Blow and Don Miguelo share a nomination in Best Urban Rhythmic Song for Zaza.
Global Broadcast and Audience Reach
Speaking at the opening event, Univision President Nacho Meyer stated that the awards represent far more than a single gala, characterizing the ceremony as an enduring celebration of Latin music and culture established over more than two decades. The show is co-hosted by media personalities Jesús Vázquez, Alejandra Espinoza, and Clarissa Molina.
The gala is broadcast live across Spanish-language television network Univision and Spanish public broadcaster Televisión Española (TVE), reaching a potential global audience of nearly one billion viewers across more than 150 countries in Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Americas.
Organizers highlighted that TelevisaUnivision distributes the show across the United States, Mexico, and Latin America through its broadcast networks, strategic regional partners, and streaming platform ViX. Meanwhile, TVE's international network extends distribution to new European and global markets. The partnership creates a promotional bridge allowing European artists access to American markets while giving Latin American musicians greater exposure across Spain and Europe.
Over its two-decade history, Premios Juventud has previously taken place in cities such as Miami, Los Angeles, Houston, and Panama. The ceremony has celebrated early career milestones for artists who became international icons, including Shakira, Bad Bunny, Karol G, J Balvin, Daddy Yankee, Maluma, Sebastián Yatra, and Rosalía. Organizers reported that the previous edition generated 450 million digital interactions and recorded higher youth viewership in the United States than major international broadcasts including the Oscars, Golden Globes, and Grammys.
