The Goya Award for Best Actress (Spanish: Premio Goya a la mejor interpretación femenina protagonista) is one of the Goya Awards presented annually by the Academy of Cinematographic Arts and Sciences of Spain (AACCE) since the awards debuted in 1986. It is given in honor of an actress who has delivered an outstanding leading performance in a Spanish film.
Since its inception, the award has been given to 26 actresses. At the 1st Goya Awards ceremony held in 1986, Amparo Rivelles was the first winner of this award for her role as Laura in We Must Undo the House.
Carmen Maura has received the most awards in this category with three wins. Other multiple winners are Cecilia Roth, Lola Dueñas, Verónica Forqué, Emma Suárez, Maribel Verdú, and Penélope Cruz, with two wins each. Cruz is the most nominated actress for the award being nominated on twelve occasions. Victoria Abril and Verdú follow in terms of nominations with eight each.
Actresses that won or were nominated for this category have had a significant presence in several film festivals both Spanish and international: Angela Molina (Half of Heaven), Victoria Abril (' and Nobody Will Speak of Us When We're Dead), Carmen Maura (Common Wealth), Pilar López de Ayala (Mad Love), Mercedes Sampietro (Common Ground), Laia Marull (Take My Eyes), Blanca Portillo (Seven Billiard Tables), Lola Dueñas (Me Too), Marian ÃÂlvarez (Wounded), all have received the Silver Shell for Best Actress at the San Sebastián International Film Festival. Silvia Abascal (The Idiot Maiden), Aura Garrido (Stockholm), Elena Anaya (They Are All Dead), Natalia de Molina (Food and Shelter), Nathalie Poza (Can't Say Goodbye), Kiti Manver (One Careful Owner), Laia Costa (Lullaby), and MarÃÂa Vázquez (Matria), all received the Best Actress award at the Málaga Film Festival. Penélope Cruz received the Volpi Cup for Best Actress at the Venice Film Festival for Parallel Mothers and the Best Actress award at the Cannes Film Festival for Volver (shared with the female cast).
At the 94th Academy Awards, Cruz was nominated for Best Actress for Parallel Mothers (2021).
As of the 2026 ceremony, Patricia López Arnaiz is the most recent winner in this category for her role as Maite in Sundays.
In the following table, the years are listed as per the Spanish Film Academy convention, corresponding to year the ceremony was held.
The following individuals received two or more Best Actress awards:
The following individuals received three or more Best Actress nominations: