PHILIPSBURG – Minister of Education, Culture, Youth and Sport, Jorien Wuite, encourages all young individual artists, performers, creative industry entrepreneurs and stakeholders in the creative industries to submit their work for consideration for the 2018 Culture Prize.
The 2018 Culture Prize acknowledges contributions towards St. Maarten’s culture and creative industries and encourages young artists and entrepreneurs on the island to nominate themselves. Nominees must be between the ages of 15 and 24 and reside on St. Maarten.
Submissions can be put forward from March 3rd to March 12th, 2018. Submitted works may include but are not limited to performance arts, fashion design, photography, videography, music, visual arts, artworks of different disciplines, make-up artistry, literary arts. Submissions must be accompanied by a motivation statement (150-300 words) on the artwork/project and how the work promotes St. Maarten’s culture.
This may be sent digitally via email to culturedepartmentofsxm@gmail.com or a hardcopy or USB-stick can be dropped off at the front desk of the Government Administration Building in a closed envelope addressed to the attention of the 2018 Culture Prize Committee, Department of Culture.
Minister Wuite has established a committee tasked to review the submitted works and propose a recipient for the award. Committee members include representatives from the Department of Culture, the St. Maarten Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the St. Maarten Youth Parliament, an established local artist whose works have been formally recognized and a member of the Cabinet of the Minister. The committee will judge the nominees’ display of their talent, creativity, originality and innovative style of their artwork.
The recipient will be announced and the prize awarded on March 21st, as a part of the Creative Industries Interactive Exchange Forum being organized by the Minister’s Cabinet and the Department of Culture.
At the forum, in addition to the awarding of the Culture Prize, the role of creativity and culture on St. Maarten will be analyzed, the relationship between the economy and culture will be highlighted and the promotion of the creative industries through already existing policies and organizations within the society of St. Maarten will be explored.
One of the main goals of the forum workshops will be the explorations for the establishment of an artist guild and the awarding of future culture prizes.
Persons with questions on the submission process can contact Ms. Beverly Mae Nisbeth at BeverlyMae.Nisbeth@sintmaartengov.org or by calling +1721-520-4563.
