The European Award for Innovations in Culture and Creativity

Under the leadership of the european centre for creative economy (ecce) in Dortmund the Network for Innovations in Culture and Creativity in Europe (NICE) was initiated in 2013 by a consortium of 15 cities, universities, agencies and personalities from 10 countries and today amounts to 25 partners from 15 countries. It is a non-profit initiative funded by the Ministry for Family, Children, Youth, Culture and Sport of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.

The annual NICE Award aims to promote innovations from the cultural and creative sectors, especially those that spill over into the wider economy and society.

This year the NICE Award theme is “Creating an Inclusive World – A Call for Transformative Innovation.

Who can apply?

Eligible for the NICE Award are:

• Individuals or entrepreneurs from the cultural and creative sectors, including designers, architects, filmmakers and performing arts as well as visual artists and video artists
• Organisations such as profit and non-profit companies and public institutions or agencies, non-profit foundations or initiatives as well as research institutions from within the cultural and creative sectors
• Collaborative teams and networks, even those without a legal entity.
• Former applicants may apply for the NICE Award as long as they submit a project which has not already been subject to an earlier application for NICE Award.

Applicants must be based in one of the 28 member states of the European Union (EU 28), the candidate or potential candidate states to the European Union as of 2017 being Albania, Montenegro, Serbia, The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Turkey as well as Bosnia and Herzegovina and Kosovo.

Solutions with transformative innovations from cross-sectorial teams are favored.

What is the prize?

Benefits for NICE Award Winners:

• The Award pool is 20.000 Euros, which will be split amongst the winners depending on their ranking and at the jury’s exclusive discretion.
• All Award winners are invited to an exclusive meeting with the NICE Award funders, that is representatives of the Minister of Economic Affairs, Energy and Industry of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia and the Cities of Essen, Bochum, Dortmund and Gelsenkirchen. This meeting offers to each winner the opportunity for matchmaking and funding of their projects.

Benefits for all NICE Award Nominees:

• Participation at the NICE Award Executive Dinner on 6 September 2017 with industry leaders and businesses from North Rhine-Westphalia and beyond, an opportunity for match-making and collaborations.
• Participation at the Forum Europe|Ruhr (formerly Forum d’Avignon Ruhr), an annual international conference on Cultural and Creative Sectors and Culture Policy trends on 7 September in Essen
• Hosting an info desk at the Forum Europe|Ruhr’s Meet & Match event with approximately 200 policy makers and stakeholders from the cultural and creative sectors across Europe. Each info desk includes a desk for two persons and a 100cmx150cm sized poster presenting the submitted project.
• Outreach: All shortlisted projects will be published on http://www.e-c-c-e.com/and on social media.

Apply by 30 April - everything you need to know is here.