The Ministry of Culture is calling for applicants for the Excellence Award in Culture. Legal persons, Public and Local Authorities and non-governmental organisations whose activities are involved in the provision of cultural processes, as well as the sectoral Advisory Councils of the MoC may be nominated for the Excellence Award.
The purpose of the award is to express the appreciation of the Latvian State for outstanding international cultural achievements, which have made a significant contribution to popularizing Latvian cultural values, contributed to the positive image of Latvia, raised Latvia’s prestige in the world and the value of culture in Latvian society.
The Excellence Award in Culture is open to natural and legal persons or associations of such persons, whose individual or collective international performance or achievement in one of the cultural fields (literature and books, theatre, cinema, visual arts, design, architecture, music, dance, cultural heritage, as well as interdisciplinary - several cultural subsector or cultural and other sector - interaction) meet the following criteria:
- received an award in international and professionally prestigious competitions, festivals, etc. in the field of culture;
- the work of Latvian artists or collectives (guest performances, exhibitions and other events) has had a wide resonance abroad, contributed to Latvia’s prestige in the world and to the sense of cultural value in Latvian society;
- excellent performance in Latvia that has attracted broad international attention and created a worldwide resonance, fostering cooperation and interaction between Latvian and foreign cultural spaces.
The regulations of the award are available here: https://www.km.gov.lv/lv/media/293/download
Applications must be submitted by 21 October 2022 at 16.00 to the official electronic address of the Ministry of Culture (e-address): DEFAULT@90000042963 or, if the application is signed with a secure electronic signature and contains a time stamp, with the indication “Application for the Excellence Award in Culture”, electronically to e-mail: pasts@km.gov.lv.
The National Council for Culture will assess applicants’ applications in accordance with the regulations of the award.
The three winners will receive their awards, including EUR 7000 after tax, at a special Excellence Award in Culture award ceremony organised by MoC in cooperation with the universities and other institutions under its responsibility.
Excellence Award in Culture was first introduced in 2014, following the initiative of the Latvian Council of Creative Unions and with the support of National Council for Culture. The first award ceremony for the Excellence Award in Culture took place on 22 December 2014. In the past years, the award has been presented to: Aleksandrs Antoņenko, Jānis Nords, Žanis Lipke Memorial, Signe Baumane, Iveta Apkalna, Andris Freibergs, Turaida Museum Reserve, Rasa un Raitis Šmiti, Andris Nelsons, Design Studio H2E, Gidons Krēmers and chamber orchestra Kremerata Baltic, and Alvis Hermanis, Latvian National Museum of Art, Rolands Kalniņš, Nora Ikstena, Imants Lancmanis, Elīna Garanča un Anna Laudere, Marina Rebeka, Gundega Laiviņa, “Latvian Literature” platform, Pēteris Vasks, Anete Melece, Rundale Palace Museum.