Great Bertsolari Championship
Basque contest of improvised poetry
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The Great Bertsolari Championship (Bertsolari Txapelketa Nagusia) is a championship among bertsolaris from all over the Basque Country. It is contested every four years and the current 2022 champion is Maialen Lujanbio.[1]
History
It was first organized by Euzko Gaztedi in 1935 and 1936. Then there was a hiatus of the Spanish Civil War and its subsequent repression. Euskaltzaindia took some years of organizational responsibility in 1960, 1962, 1965, and 1967. The next, with a thirteen-year break, were held in 1980 and 1982, and Xabier Amuriza won both. Although he was from Biscay, he sung in Standard Basque instead of the Biscayan dialect, breaking the mold, and establishing a precedent for modern bertsolaritza. Since 1986, the Basque Association of Friends of the Basque Country has organized the championship every four years.[2]
Winners
| Year | Winner |
|---|---|
| 1935 | Inazio Eizmendi Manterola "Basarri" |
| 1936 | Jose Manuel Lujanbio Retegi "Txirrita" |
| 1960 | Inazio Eizmendi Manterola "Basarri" |
| 1962 | Manuel Olaizola Urbieta "Uztapide" |
| 1965 | |
| 1967 | |
| 1980 | Xabier Amuriza Sarrionandia |
| 1982 | |
| 1986 | Sebastian Lizaso Iraola |
| 1989 | Jon Lopategi Lauzirika |
| 1993 | Andoni Egaña Makazaga |
| 1997 | |
| 2001 | |
| 2005 | |
| 2009 | Maialen Lujanbio Zugasti |
| 2013 | Amets Arzallus Antia |
| 2017 | Maialen Lujanbio Zugasti |
