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ASSITEJ International Award for Artistic Excellence

The ASSITEJ International Award for Artistic Excellence is given every three years for noteworthy artistic achievement in the field of theatre and performing arts for children and young people. It is the most prestigious Award given by the Association. It was previously known as the Honorary Presidents’ Award.

This Award is given to an individual or a company working in the field of theatre and performing arts for children and young people, nominated by either their ASSITEJ National Centre or Professional Network. It was established to recognise emerging artists and innovation in the field.

In 1990 at the Stockholm ASSITEJ World Congress and Performing Arts Festival for Children & Young People, Dr Nat Eek (former ASSITEJ International President from 1972 to 1975 and now Honorary President) realised that ASSITEJ International had no official Award to give to its members that honoured their artistic excellence in theatre and performing arts for young audiences.

Wishing to honour the memory of his wife, Patricia Fulton Eek, a lighting designer and ardent advocate of theatre for young people who died in 1989, he established the Honorary Presidents’ Award of ASSITEJ International.

It was named and presented on behalf of all the Honorary Presidents of ASSITEJ International – Gerald Tyler (United Kingdom), Konstantin Shak-Azizov (USSR), Vladimir Adamek (Czech Republic), Nat Eek (USA), Ilse Rodenberg (Germany), Michael Fitzgerald (Australia), Harold Oaks (USA), Wolfgang Schneider (Germany), Yvette Hardie (South Africa), and those yet to come.

The Executive Committee established this Award at the 1993 ASSITEJ World Congress and Performing Arts Festival for Children & Young People in Cuba.

The initial purpose of the Award was to encourage membership in the international organisation among all ASSITEJ National Centres, to bring recognition to the younger artists in the field, and to give them some financial assistance in their work. It was not intended to honour those artists well-established in their field, many of whom have already been well-praised by their associates and respective governments. A financial reward can mean much more to a younger or emerging artist.

However, the 2005 Executive Committee felt that “young” should not be understood as applying to age but to the ‘newness’ of the artistic work of the individual or theatre. They also defined that this ‘newness’ should mean taking place in the past three years.

The family of the late Nat Eek generously funds the Award.

Past Winners

Frequently Asked Questions

Award Eligibility

  • The Award is given every three years at an appropriate ceremony at the ASSITEJ World Congress and Performing Arts Festival for Children & Young People;
  • The Award is given to an individual creative artist or company that has achieved noteworthy artistic excellence in theatre and performing arts for children and young people;
  • Only an individual artist or group’s creative work during the previous three years can be considered for the Award;
  • No individual artist or group may receive the Award more than once.

Who Can Nominate?

Each full member of ASSITEJ International (an ASSITEJ National Centre or Professional Network) can put forward one candidate for this Award in any three-year period.

Once a member of an ASSITEJ National Centre has won the Award, that centre may not make a nomination again until six years later (or the second ASSITEJ World Congress and Performing Arts Festival for Children & Young People) after receiving the Award.

What Is The Nomination Process?

Those nominating should provide the following:

  • A ‘Nomination Statement’ (two pages) giving the motivation for why this person, company, or theatre should receive the Award;
  • A list of curated media supporting the nominations (for example, videos, photos, reviews, articles, etc.), up to a maximum of six;
  • Nomination form (the form will be made available in due course).

These items must be sent to the Secretary General.

What Is The Timeline & When Must Nominations Be Received?

The due date for nominations for this term (2021-2024) will be announced later.

In general, the nomination process is as follows:

  • During the second year after an ASSITEJ World Congress and Performing Arts Festival for Children & Young People, the Secretary General sends the Announcement of the Award for the next ASSITEJ World Congress and Performing Arts Festival for Children & Young People to all ASSITEJ National Centres via email. Attached will be a list of the history, rules, and regulations of the Award, along with a Nomination Form. This information and related resources will also be available for download from the ASSITEJ International website.
  • At this time the President, with the approval of the Executive Committee, selects a five-person jury. Three members are chosen from the current Executive Committee, and two are appointed from among members of ASSITEJ National Centres who are not on the Executive Committee.
  • All completed Nomination Forms must be received by the Secretary General by the deadline date indicated on the Form, usually six months before the date of the next ASSITEJ World Congress and Performing Arts Festival for Children & Young People.
  • At this time, the jury meets for deliberation and selection of the awardee(s). The meeting is held in conjunction with regular Executive Committee meetings prior to the next ASSITEJ World Congress and Performing Arts Festival for Children & Young People. It is not within the remit of the jury to change the rules of the Award. If the jury desires changes, these can only be made with the approval of the Executive Committee and the Donor. Once an awardee has been selected, the jury Chair must send the report of their selection to the Secretary General and the President for discussion and approval or revision by the Executive Committee.
  • The Secretary General then notifies the Donor for their approval in relation to the rules of the Award. After approval, the Secretary General notifies the winner of the Award.
  • The Award and certificates are presented to the winner(s) and nominees, respectively, at an appropriate ceremony during the next ASSITEJ World Congress and Performing Arts Festival for Children & Young People.

How Is The Winner Selected?

  • Before meeting, all jury members receive copies of the nomination forms and the enclosures attached to each nomination.
  • Upon meeting, the jury first reviews all the nominees to see if there is any conflict of interest between the nominees, their Centres, and any jury member. Examples of this could be a jury member from a nominating or neighbouring country. This has usually been resolved by the jury member in conflict excusing themselves from voting on that nomination. However, they are expected to participate freely in the discussion.
  • After reviewing all the submitted materials, the jury discusses the merits of each nominee based on the submitted materials and each juror’s personal experience and knowledge of the candidates and their artistic work. The jury adjudicating the Award will prioritise emerging artists and new and exciting companies, although established individuals or theatres that begin working in a new and innovative way will also be considered. 
  • The jury narrows the nominees down to the two or three with the most merit.
  • The jury then votes or agrees on the awardee, which has usually been unanimous. In the event of their inability to choose only one awardee, the jury has shared the Award between multiple in the past.

What Will Award Winners Receive?

The Award carries a prize of 5,000 USD. If there is more than one winner, the 5,000 USD will be divided between them. The Award also comes with a certificate and an engraved goblet along with a bottle of champagne for appropriate celebration.

Award winners will be celebrated at an Awards Ceremony during the ASSITEJ ASSITEJ World Congress and Performing Arts Festival for Children & Young People. They will receive special acknowledgement on ASSITEJ International’s website.

Each of the nominees for the Award also receives a printed certificate in the following format:

[Name] was nominated by ASSITEJ [their country] National Centre for the [Year] Artistic Excellence Award of ASSITEJ International for excellence in the profession of Theatre & Performing Arts for Children & Young People (TYA) and is due congratulations and high commendation for the nomination.

What Is The Donor's Relationship To ASSITEJ International?

The Donor’s Responsibilities

  • To provide the money for the cash Award to be given to the awardee;
  • To provide the engraved goblet and the bottle of champagne for the awardee;
  • To provide the appropriate Certificates of Nomination for all the nominees;
  • To be in attendance at the Award Ceremony to present the Award or to appoint an appropriate person to make the presentation on their behalf.

ASSITEJ International’s Responsibility to the Donor

  • To send a copy of the Award Announcement and Nomination Form to the donor at the time of their issue;
  • To send a copy of the jury’s selection report to the donor after the jury’s deliberation;
  • To request the donor’s approval of the recommendation only in terms of fulfilling the criteria of the Award, not whether the awardee is to be approved or not;
  • To notify the donor of the time and place of the Awards Ceremony and to request their presence.

Any Further Questions?

Questions can be sent to the Secretary General.