The Aragon-based campaign, developed to promote sun protection during outdoor sports, has been recognized in the Best Awareness Campaign category.
Aragon-based medical aesthetics clinic Metódyca and pharmacist Virginia Barrau have won the 2026 National Pharmacy Award in the Best Awareness Campaign category for «Don’t Play With the Sun,» an initiative focused on preventing skin cancer and making sun protection a routine part of outdoor sports.
The recognition comes after Metódyca and Barrau became the first Aragon-based nominees to reach the finals of these awards. The ceremony was held on September 23 at the Real Casa de Correos, the headquarters of the Community of Madrid government in Puerta del Sol.
«Don’t Play With the Sun» began development in 2025, with golf as its first setting. The campaign is based on a simple idea: bringing sun protection beyond the occasions traditionally associated with sunscreen use, such as the beach or vacations, to activities where exposure to ultraviolet radiation can last for hours.
Sun protection on the golf course
The initiative was launched at Arcosur Golf in Zaragoza, in collaboration with the Aragon Golf Federation. Free sunscreen dispensers were installed for players and visitors, making the facility Spain’s first sun-protected public golf course.
The initiative has been supplemented with posters and informational panels reminding athletes of preventive measures, including applying sunscreen and protecting particularly exposed areas. The Aragon Golf Federation has continued the project through 2026 with new awareness materials at the facility.
We felt it was important to run a campaign that contributes not only from a medical aesthetics perspective, but also through the prevention of diseases as serious as skin cancer, explains María Pilar Espés, Metódyca’s founding partner.
Arcosur Golf’s public status also allows the message to reach a broad range of people, from regular players to newcomers to the sport and younger audiences.
A campaign designed to expand to other sports
The visual identity and creative concept were developed by Víctor Gonzalo, a Metódyca partner and creative director. The slogan plays on the double meaning of the word «play»: «Play with your friends or whoever you want, but never with the sun.»
The campaign first ran in 2025 and has continued throughout 2026. While golf has served as its starting point, its promoters are considering extending the model to other settings marked by prolonged sun exposure, including padel and activities on beaches.
The National Pharmacy Award therefore recognizes an initiative born in Aragon that brings together different professional fields—medical aesthetics, pharmacy, sports and communications—around a shared goal: making sun protection part of the daily habits of people who engage in outdoor activities.
