Miyamoto nominated for top Spanish honour

Following his induction into the BAFTA Fellowship this month, it has emerged that Shigeru Miyamoto has also been nominated for a top honour in the Spanish-speaking world - the Prince of Asturias Award.

Miyamoto has received a nomination in the category of Communications and Humanities - a nomination which was presented at Gamelab this year, an international interactive entertainment event held annually in Gijon, Spain.

Miyamoto is "the greatest figure from a brilliant generation of interactive creative talent, who conceives of video games as a new medium, one that is able to join people around a shared experience, regardless of their age, sex, social group or culture," said Gamelab director Ivan Fernandez-Lobo.

"Thanks to his influence, when you talk about video games today you're talking about global communication, about a powerful and democratic way of expression; there´s no contradiction with the existing ones, which are just absorbed and improved on through the language of interaction."

The Prince of Asturias Awards were created in 1981 to honour "a person, group of people or institution whose creative work or research represents a relevant contribution to humanity and to mankind's universal heritage."

Past winners of varied categories include Woody Allen, Bob Dylan, Bill and Melinda Gates and Lance Armstrong.

The awards will be presented in Oviedo, the capital of the Principality of Asturias, in a ceremony attended by the Prince and Queen of Spain.