CaixaBank and Microsoft have honored the 16 best female students in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) degrees in Spain with the WONNOW Awards. These awards, now in their eighth edition, celebrate female excellence in STEM careers—fields where women remain underrepresented—with the goal of promoting gender equality.
Since their inception in 2018, a total of 5,922 students from across Spain have applied for the WONNOW Awards, a figure that confims the consolidation of these prizes in the academic world. In this latest edition, participation remained strong, with 1,080 applicants from Spanish universities.
The WONNOW Awards were presented at an event held at CaixaBank’s all in one office in Barcelona, attended by CaixaBank CEO, Gonzalo Gortázar, and Microsoft Spain president, Paco Salcedo.
In his remarks, Gonzalo Gortázar emphasized that these awards "recognize and reward the talent of women who choose scientific and technological careers, where female representation is still limited, but which are increasingly important for addressing the global challenges we face as a society". He congratulated the winners for being "the best example for future female university students in science and technology" and highlighted that "more than a third of previous WONNOW Award winners are now part of our team".
For his part, Paco Salcedo thanked all the candidates for their participation and noted that "parity and inclusion in the STEM sector are not just aspirations but necessities for the development and competitiveness of our society". He added: "In the technology sector, the gender gap remains an urgent challenge: currently, only 29.8% of those employed in the ICT sector in Spain are women, and in the field of artificial intelligence, this percentage drops to 23%. That is why it is especially inspiring to see the talent, excellence, and determination of the WONNOW Award winners, who represent the future of innovation in our country. It is essential that artificial intelligence and technology be inclusive and gender-neutral, because only then can we build solutions that meet the needs of society as a whole. Investing in female talent in STEM is not only a matter of fairness but also of competitiveness and the future of Spain".
According to the study ‘Científicas en cifras 2025’, prepared by the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities, in the 2023–2024 academic year, only 28.1% of students enrolled in Engineering and Architecture programs were women. Ten years ago, in 2014–2015, the percentage was 25.6%, and it has been rising each year since then. However, it is still far from parity with male students.
Best academic records
In 2025, the student with the best academic record, as well as personal, professional, and social trajectory, was Marta Sierra Obea (Monzón, Huesca), who is pursuing a double degree in Data Science and Engineering and Telecommunications Technologies Engineering at Universidad Carlos III de Madrid. She received a €10,000 financial award and access to a Microsoft mentoring program.
The other 15 students have been awarded six-month employment contracts with the CaixaBank Group in key areas such as Business, Finance, Risk, Digital Transformation & Advanced Analytics, Operations, and Sustainability, among others, and will also have access to Microsoft’s mentoring program.
The winners of this edition join a long list of women recognized by the WONNOW Awards. Additionally, 28 previous winners continue to work at the CaixaBank Group.
