Maialen Lujanbio wins the National Bertsolaris Championship

The National Bertsolaris Championship of 2022 came to an end in Pamplona's Navarra Arena pavilion on Sunday 18th December. Alaia Martin Etxebeste, Amets Arzallus Antia, Beñat Gaztelumendi Arandia, Joanes Illarregi Marzol, Maialen Lujanbio Zugasti, Nerea Ibarzabal Salegi and Sustrai Colina Acordarrementeria sang in front of 13,300 fans from all over the Basque Country. 

The final was held in two parts, one in the morning and the other in the afternoon. Of the eight finalists, Amets Arzallus and Maialen Lujanbio went through to the last heat, in which Maialen Lujanbio came out on top, making her the winner of the grand championship for bertsolari singers for the third time, after her victories in 2009 and 2017.

Among the 13,000 people attending the event were experts in improvised singing, together with practitioners of this kind of singing elsewhere in the world. The final was also watched by just over a hundred journalists. Also in attendance were politicians representing a range of institutions, including Navarrese minister for public and institutional relations Ana Ollo, first minister of the Navarrese parliament Unai Uhalde, Basque minister of education Jokin Bildarratz, representatives of the Bizkaia and Gipuzkoa provincial authorities and representative of Herri Elkargoa Thierry Biskary. It was also attended by sponsors' representatives and personalities of Basque culture.