Out of a total of 110 applications from Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Belgium, Belarus, France, Israel, Lithuania, Russia, Serbia and the Netherlands, 26 applicants made it onto the shortlist for the European Cultural Brand Awards 2021. Due to the very tense incidence situation in Saxony and a new Corona protection regulation, the originally planned award ceremony for all award winners in a gala character in the Dresden State Operetta had to be cancelled on November 11.
This year's ten award winners were therefore honored for the first time at individual events. The awards were presented in Corona-compliant formats at selected locations and in the presence of well-known personalities.
Lifetime-Achievement Award 2021
Eliad Moreh-Rosenberg (ISR)
(Curator and Director of the Holocaust Art Museum in Yad Vashem)
Eliad Moreh-Rosenberg (Curator and Director of the Holocaust Art Museum in Yad Vashem)
This year's Lifetime Achievement Award in the category European Cultural Manager of the Year 2021 was presented to Eliad Moreh-Rosenberg. As curator and director of the Holocaust Art Museum in Yad Vashem: World Holocaust Center, Jerusalem, she works tirelessly to preserve the memory of the Shoa through her exhibitions. Her central message therefore is "Humanity will prevail". The award ceremony was held at the Gewandhaus Dresden, where the first Auricas were presented in a small ceremony.
Special jury prize for innovation and experimentation in pandemic times
Dresdner Sinfoniker (D)
Markus Rindt (Artistic Director of the Dresdner Sinfoniker) and Therese Menzel (Managing Director of the Dresdner Sinfoniker)
With innovative music mediation and alternative concert formats, the Dresdner Sinfoniker points the way to the future - fresh, rousing and at the highest musical level. For their innovations and their willingness to experiment in pandemic times, they received a unique special prize from the jury, among others for the projects "Himmel über Prohlis" and "Elbkarawane". They were also presented with the Aurica at the Gewandhaus Dresden.
European Trend Brand of the Year 2021
Novi Sad 2022 - European Capital of Culture (SRB)
Hans-Conrad Walter with Nemanja Milenkovic (Managing Director of the Foundation "Novi Sad 2022 - European Capital of Culture")
Novi Sad 2022 was named European Trend Brand of the Year 2021. The jury was impressed by the program and the overall appearance of the future European Capital of Culture, which had applied with several small projects. With its programs "Doček", "Kaleidoscope of Culture" and the "Network of Cultural Stations", Novi Sad 2022 demonstrates that culture can be thought of and organized in an interdisciplinary way and that there is no need for boundaries. A groundbreaking approach that the jury honored with a coveted Aurica! The Managing Director of the Capital of Culture 2022 Nemanja Milenkovic accepted the bronze statue on behalf of all participants in the Gewandhaus Dresden.
European Cultural Investor of the Year 2021
European Cultural Foundation (NL)
Hans-Conrad Walter with Dimitri Hegemann (Director of the TRESOR Foundation), André Wilkens (Director of the European Cultural Foundation) and Andrea Joras (jury member of the European Cultural Brand Awards)
In the category "European Cultural Investor of the Year 2021", the jury chose the European Cultural Foundation from Amsterdam and its cultural investment "Culture of Solidarity Fund". Established in March 2020 in response to the coronavirus crisis, the fund supports innovative cultural initiatives that transcend European borders, professional sectors, and artistic disciplines to provide collaborative solutions to pandemic housing challenges and solidarity support. The venue for the award ceremony was the former control center of Kraftwerk Berlin. This is the home of the TRESOR Foundation, which has been a grantee of the Culture of Solidarity Fund since early November.
European Cultural Manager of the Year 2021
Jasmin Vogel (D)
Prof. Dr. Julia Frohne (jury member of the European Cultural Brand Awards), award winner Jasmin Vogel and Initiator of the competition Hans-Conrad Walter
In the presence of jury member Prof. Dr. Julia Frohne and Hans-Conrad Walter, Jasmin Vogel was awarded the title of "European Cultural Manager of the Year 2021" at the Kulturforum in Witten. The jury chose the director of the Kulturforum Witten for her skills in strategy and organizational development, vision development and project development. Above all, her future orientation and ability to sustainably transform public structures with a view to digitalization, sustainability and diversity convinced the expert jury and made her the shooting star of the competition.
European Cultural Brand of the Year 2021
Beethoven Jubiläums GmbH (D)
Pedro Muñoz (jury member of the European Cultural Brand Awards), Susanne Spröer (Deutsche Welle), Hans-Conrad Walter (Causales), Ralf Birkner (Managing Director of the Beethoven Jubiläums GmbH), Nicole Bangert and Isabelle Trenkner (Marketing BTHVN2020)
In the category "European Cultural Brand of the Year 2021" the Beethoven Jubiläums GmbH was honored with the BTHVN2020 brand. The jury recognized the consistent brand management and a lively brand identity. Above all, the ability to change in pandemic times testified to the high flexibility, innovative strength and staying power of all those involved. The award ceremony took place at the Beethoven-Haus in Bonn in the presence of jury member Pedro Muñoz, Deutsche Welle's Head of Department for the "Culture Online" section Susanne Spröer and the promoter of the European Cultural Brand Awards Hans-Conrad Walter.
European Award for Sustainability in the Cultural Market 2021
Lower Austrian Film Commission (AUT)
Hans-Conrad Walter (Initiator of the European Cultural Brand Awards) with Dietlind Rott (Head of the Lower Austrian Film Commission), Johanna Mikl-Leitner (Governor of Lower Austria) and Hermann Dikowitsch (Head of Department for Arts and Culture of Lower Austria)
The European Award for Sustainability in the Cultural Market 2021 was awarded to the Lower Austrian Film Commission, which with its green filming initiative "Evergreen Prisma" is comprehensively committed to sustainable filmmaking and thus makes a forward-looking contribution to more ecological, economic and social responsibility. Hans-Conrad Walter presented the Aurica of this category on behalf of the 40-member expert jury to the head of the Lower Austrian Film Commission Dietlind Rott at the Palais Niederösterreich in Vienna, where they were warmly received by the Governor of Lower Austria Johanna Mikl-Leitner and the Head of Department for Arts and Culture of Lower Austria Hermann Dikowitsch.
European Prize for Urban Culture of the Year 2021
Brunnenpassage Wien (AUT)
Hans-Conrad Walter together with Fariba Mosleh (Deputy manager of the Brunnenpassage), Veronica Kaus-Hasler (City Councillor for Culture of the City of Vienna), Anne Wiederhold-Daryanavard (Artistic Director of the Brunnenpassage), Klaus Schwertner (Managing Director of Caritas Wien) und Franz Prokop (District Head Vienna-Ottakring)
The "European Prize for Urban Culture of the Year 2021" was awarded to the Brunnenpassage Wien. The expert jury honored the art and cultural space for its extraordinary formats and the high degree of diversity that characterizes the artistic content. Since 2007, the Brunnenpassage has been a model project for transcultural art and its impact is felt far beyond the borders of Austria. The award ceremony took place in front of the former market hall at the Brunnenmarkt in Vienna. Here, the Vienna City Councilor for Culture Veronica Kaup-Hasler, District Head Franz Prokop and the Managing Director of Caritas Vienna, Klaus Schwertner, were also present.
European Education Programme of the Year 2021
Eva Pfitzner Leserattenservice GmbH (D)
Stefan Gemmel (Children's book author) and Eva Pfitzner (Managing Director of the Leserattenservice) with Dr. Alexander Saftig (District Administrator of the Mayen-Koblenz District) at the ceremonial handover of the Aurica
The winner of the "European Education Program of the Year 2021" category was the Eva Pfitzner Leserattenservice. The jury was impressed by the concept of getting children, young people and adults excited about reading with unusual formats such as a reading world record with 30,000 participants. With their media-effective readings and competitions, Eva Pfitzner and the children's book author Stefan Gemmel place the topic of "reading" in the public eye, help this important skill to gain attention, and highlight the fact that reading is by no means just an individual activity, but also has an experiential character and can trigger group-dynamic processes.
European Cultural Tourism Region of the Year 2021
Tourismus NRW (D)
Prof. Dr. Oliver Scheytt (jury member of the European Cultural Brand Awards), Dr. Heike Döll-König (Managing Director of Tourismus NRW e.V.) and Hans-Conrad Walter (Initiator of the European Cultural Brand Awards) at the award ceremony on the Rhine promenade in Düsseldorf
Tourismus NRW e.V. received the award as "European Cultural Tourism Region of the Year 2021" for the digital campaign "100 Years of Joseph Beuys". An interdisciplinary network for the promotion of cultural tourism developed the bike route "Beuys & Bike" and thus overcame the dilemma of leaving cultural tourists standing in front of closed doors of an entire region during the pandemic. With the development of the cycling route "Beuys & Bike", Tourismus NRW e.V. has shown that successful marketing of tourist offers is possible even in pandemic times. The managing director of Tourismus NRW e.V., Dr. Heike Döll-König, received the award in a small ceremony on December 17, 2021, in the presence of jury member Prof. Dr. Oliver Scheytt and the initiator of the competition Hans-Conrad Walter in front of the KIT (Kunst im Tunnel) on the Rhine promenade in Düsseldorf.
