Established in 1996 by the Commission for the Commemorations of the Centenary of the Birth of Professor Doctor Manuel Rodrigues Lapa, the Award has a dual objective: to honor the philologist from Anadia and to recognize students from Anadia's schools with the best academic performance at the end of the 2nd and 3rd cycles of basic education, secondary education, and vocational education.
Until the 2011/2012 academic year, the distinction was awarded to the best student in each educational level. However, the Municipality of Anadia decided to acknowledge the excellence of more students and recognize the relativity of teaching and learning variables in different contexts. Consequently, it now distinguishes three students per school and per educational cycle.
Participating institutions include Vilarinho do Bairro Basic School (6 students), Anadia Basic and Secondary School (12), Colégio Nossa Senhora da Assunção - Famalicão (9), and Anadia Professional School (3), totaling 30 students. The top student in each educational level will receive a monetary prize of €250.00 and a diploma, while the other two will receive Honorable Mentions.
This initiative aims to encourage continuous improvement in academic performance and support the educational journey of young people. The award's “Guiding Principles” were approved on October 22nd, which also initiated the procedure for creating a Municipal Regulation for the award, to be effective from the 2027 competition.
