The FintroPrijzen awards were presented on Thursday evening, for the third year running, at the BNP Paribas Fortis headquarters to young Belgian artists or artists living in Belgium aged between 18 and 32.
The artists competed in five categories: Literature in French, Literature in Dutch, Dance & Theater, Film & Photography and Visual Arts. The winners received a total of €80,000 in prizes, plus a range of practical career aids.
In concrete terms, the winner of each category received a cash prize of €10,000, while the second and third runners-up received €2,000, as do the winners of the audience prizes in each category.
In addition, all winners will benefit from membership of a network of young artists and from practical support, such as access to artist residencies.
In Literature, Sophie Vandeveugle and Tijl Nuyts were honored in the French-speaking and Dutch-speaking categories respectively, while Nina Six and Aya Sabi received the Audience Award in each category.
In Visual Arts, Clara Spilliaert took first prize, and Ethel Lilienfeld was the favourite of the public.
Romain Cavallin won the Film & Photography category, and was also awarded the Audience Prize.
Finally, Eli Mathieu-Bustos won in the Dance & Theatre category, in which Nona Demey Gallagher won over the public.
“The PrixFintroPrijs is a celebration of imagination and hope,” Luc Keppens, CEO of Fintro, said in his opening speech at the ceremony, held in the Chancellerie auditorium at BNP Paribas Fortis headquarters in Brussels.
“In these uncertain times, our young Belgian artists bring empathy, courage, new perspectives and inspiration to continually put the work back on the drawing board,” Keppens said.
The ceremony also featured a speech by film director Michael R. Roskam (Bullhead, Le Fidèle…) and a piano performance by Belgian pianist Margaux Anseeuw.
