The deadline for submitting applications for these grants, which correspond to the 2023-2024 academic year, is May 31.
During the month of May , university students from Mequinenza can apply for the Joaquín Torres Foundation Scholarships for the 2023-2024 academic year. The terms and conditions for these grants, now in their thirty-first year, can be found on the Mequinenza Town Hall website. Applications can be submitted until May 31st. Once the deadline has passed, the Foundation's Board of Trustees will review each application individually to ensure it meets the requirements before awarding the scholarships, the date of which is yet to be determined.
These grants are supplementary to other scholarships and are made possible by the generous donation of Joaquín Torres, a native of Mequinenza who made his fortune in the Latin American publishing industry. To be eligible, students must meet the requirements outlined in the call for applications. They must be at least in their second year of their chosen university degree program, meet the academic requirements stipulated by the State in its scholarship legislation, have previously applied for a state scholarship, and have resided continuously in Mequinenza for the past 10 years.
Last year, a total of 31 scholarships were awarded, amounting to €31.000. Over the past three decades, the Joaquín Torres Foundation has granted 760 scholarships totaling €980.000, which have supported the higher education of young people in the town.
Joaquín Torres Arbiol
Joaquín Torres Arbiol is the most notable and generous overseas emigrant from Mequinenza. He was born in Poble Vell, the old town center that disappeared due to the construction of the Riba-roja reservoir, on June 8, 1901, and died in Buenos Aires on August 10, 1991.
This philanthropic man from Mequinenza left his hometown at the age of 21 to do his military service in Madrid. There, as a result of a series of coincidences, he ended up working at the publishing house Espasa, the future powerful Espasa Calpe.
His performance at the company must have been so significant that shortly afterward, in 1926, the publishing house sent him to Buenos Aires to establish a branch or office in the Argentine capital. He also worked as a sales representative for other Spanish publishers, such as Seix Barral and Cervantes. He dedicated himself to detecting clandestine and fraudulent editions, especially those originating from Chile, and warned publishers and bookstores to prevent their acquisition, thus combating piracy. In 1931, he became the owner of the publishing house Juventud Argentina.
