Polinyà became the first finalist of the 2026 edition of El Grand Prix de Verano after beating Pradejón in Monday's televised semi-final in Spain.
The municipality from Barcelona dominated the scoreboard for most of the night but required a dramatic final answer in the dictionary challenge to seal its victory over the Riojan team.
Both teams entered the studio after six weeks of qualifying galas. Polinyà had reached the semi-final in second place in the overall standings with 36 points, while Pradejón stood third with 32 points, setting up a closely contested match for the first spot in the grand final.
El Grand Prix de Verano is a flagship summer entertainment game show produced by Spanish public broadcaster RTVE. The long-running program pits small towns from across Spain against one another in physical trials, comedy obstacle courses, and mental tests.
Studio Hosts and Team Sponsors
Veteran presenter Ramón García hosted the show, accompanied by Gorka Rodríguez providing play-by-play commentary from his broadcast booth. Comedian LalaChus brought a relaxed touch from the stands, while entertainer Wilbur and the show's iconic mascot, the heifer, put contestants through their paces on the arena floor.
García has been the signature face of El Grand Prix since its original run in the 1990s, helping establish the summer competition as a mainstay of Spanish family broadcasting on La 1.
Television presenter Javier de Hoyos took his seat on the sidelines to sponsor the blue team of Polinyà. Actress Dafne Fernández, known for her work in Spanish television and cinema, sponsored the yellow team of Pradejón and actively joined in several of the night's games.
Early Lead and Classic Challenges
Polinyà took an early lead by winning a combination of classic games and new challenges introduced for this stage of the tournament. The Catalan delegation proved superior in Los troncos locos, Los recoge cocos, Alicia en el país de las caidillas, and La cucaña.
The Catalan squad consolidated its advantage in the Superbolos round, claiming a victory by the narrowest of margins. That win pushed Polinyà to 28 points, leaving Pradejón trailing on 19 points as the competition entered its final phase.
Polinyà is a municipality located in the province of Barcelona in Catalonia. Pradejón is a town situated in the province and autonomous community of La Rioja, northern Spain.
The Dictionary Comeback
The competition took a sharp turn during the deciding challenge, El diccionario. Under the rules of the dictionary game, correct answers add three points, incorrect answers deduct three points, and the third word carries a four-point value.
Pradejón capitalized on the high stakes by stringing together three consecutive correct decisions. The Riojan team correctly confirmed that the word crencha exists, correctly denied that volífero exists, and correctly identified tilano as a false word.
The three successful answers propelled Pradejón to a temporary total of 29 points. Polinyà stumbled during the sequence by incorrectly guessing the word miñosa, losing three points and narrowing the gap between the two municipalities to the absolute limit.
Winning Word and Grand Final Spot
With the entire match hanging on the final moment of the night, the responsibility fell to Polinyà's delegation. The Catalan team chose to risk everything by asserting that the term conticinio is listed in the official dictionary of the Real Academia Española.
The Real Academia Española, headquartered in Madrid, is the official royal institution tasked with preserving and standardizing the Spanish language through its authoritative dictionary.
The dictionary confirmed that conticinio is indeed a valid word, awarding Polinyà the crucial four points. The positive verdict brought Polinyà's final score to 32 points, clinching their place in the title match scheduled to air in two weeks.
