NICE Award 2019 - Internationalisation for a Better World | call for entries

Open call for the NICE Award 2019: Internationalisation for a Better World – A Call for Transformative Innovations. The NICE Award 2019 invites individuals, teams and organisations from the cultural and creative sectors to propose surprising and experimental solutions for shaping an international society to improve our world. Applicants must be based in an eligible European country.

We believe that the stakeholders from the cultural and creative sectors – if entrepreneurs and companies, public institutions, other professionals as well as researchers – are essential actors in shaping a better society.

Focus 2019

Innovations in international solutions driven by cultural and creative sectors can be innovative cooperations or projects, products, business models or even market creating structures. A special focus is given to innovations from the cultural and creative industries involving big data, open government, transparent governance and the well-being of local, regional and national stakeholders.

Internationalisation today does affect all sectors of our everyday life - today and in the future especially in its inevitable connection to digitisation. It offers new opportunities and empowerment to cities and citizens alike as much as it creates new challenges to tackle and skills to learn. Innovations and inventions from the cultural and creative sectors have been at the forefront of internationalisation - traditionally music, film or literature and now lately immersive virtual reality, 3D printing or design. In 2017, the European Commission started the Cultural Diplomacy Platform : cultural and creative institutions and entrepreneurs are now recognized as a vital part even of international relations.

Who can apply?

· Individuals or entrepreneurs from the cultural and creative sectors, such as designers, architects, filmmakers, performing artists, game and app developers 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, including 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 the 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 2018 being Albania, Montenegro, Serbia, The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Turkey as well as Bosnia and Herzegovina and Kosovo. See: europa.eu/european-union/about-eu/countries_en

Up to 10 projects will be nominated for the NICE Award 2019. These will constitute the NICE Award Shortlist 2019 and be presented during the NICE Award Executive Dinner and Ceremony.

If an application gets shortlisted, the applicant(s) must ensure

• his/her/their arrival on February 12 in Dortmund until 11 am

• his/her/their participation on February 12 2019 in Dortmund from 12 am to 10 pm for the jury interviews, NICE Pitching Event, press talks as well as NICE Award Dinner and Ceremony

• and on February 13 2019 from 10 am to 5 pm for a pitching at the Meet & Match during the 6. Creative Industries Dialog North Rhine-Westphalia.

Up to two hotel rooms from February 12 to 14 will be booked and paid for by ecce. Travel costs can be partially refunded for two representatives of the shortlisted projects.

>> Find the Application Form HERE