SINT MAARTEN (GREAT BAY) - The Where Culture Lives (WCL) project is proud to announce the launch of the WCL Artist Prize; a special opportunity for artists and creatives in Aruba, Bonaire, Curacao, Saba, St. Eustatius and St. Maarten to share their interpretation of where and how culture lives in their communities.
Starting Monday 23rd February 2026, artists from all disciplines are invited to submit original work that captures the essence of cultural heritage on their island. The prize welcomes submissions in all art forms; visual arts, music, performance, dance, literature & poetry, film, culinary arts, photography and digital media.
"Our culture and heritage is felt, not only in museums but also in our streets, kitchens, festivals and in our everyday experiences as Caribbean people," says Jorien Wuite, Principal coordinator and Director of Lemonade BV.
"This prize gives meaning to the title of our project and is an invitation for artists to show us, in their own artistic language, where culture truly lives on their island."
Independent from research findings from the WCL project, the artistic works are a parallel knowledge stream seeking work that shows cultural life; the everyday places, traditions and stories rooted in local experience and creative practice on each island.
The work may also connect the past with the present or speak to the struggles and strength and what it means to belong in the community. Most importantly, the prize asks for artistic expression that others in the community will recognize and be able to resonate with.
As also discussed and agreed with the Ministry of OCW, the research & project team (Ludmila Duncan, Gregory Richardson, Elton Villareal and Jorien Wuite) believe why the inclusion of the prize is important now. The team believes that it supports participation & relevance and will support a richer interpretive landscape when research findings are discussed during the Validation sessions scheduled on all islands for the second half of April.
With this initiative the team therefore wants to bridge research & community and build on multi-layered insights combining research, dialogue, and artistic expression. The project hopes that this initiative will further increase visibility of the artists and creatives lacrosse the (Dutch) Caribbean, observe representation of their island culture and emphasize a place in a wider cultural conversation and policy dialogue for the position and strengthening of the cultural sector.
The project will award the artists on each island with a 1st, 2nd and 3rd prize (500, 250 and 125 $) during the upcoming Validation sessions. The submission process is simple and open to any artist based on one of the six Dutch Caribbean islands.
Persons can submit original artistic work in any medium or format; whether it's a painting, song, poem, photograph or video. Submissions open on Monday, February 23rd, 2026, and close on Monday, March 25, 2026.
To enter, artists are asked to simply send their work via email to whereculturelivesproject@gmail.com. To artists, the project team notes; ‘when you submit your work, please include your name and which island you're from, along with the title of your work and what type of art it is.
Write a short statement, add photos or any other attachment that explains what your work shows about "where culture lives" on your island. Send us your artwork as files or provide a link to where we can download it (WeTransfer and Google Drive links are accepted.)
You will need to give us permission to use your work in WCL project outputs and provide your contact information so that we can reach you by email and phone or WhatsApp.’
Artists may submit work in any language and are welcome to reach out with questions throughout the submission period via whereculturelivesproject@gmail.com for more information.
The judging process will take place from March 26, 2026, with winners announced thereafter in April. Selected works will be featured in WCL project outputs and validation sessions, where they will contribute to important conversations about cultural policy and development across the islands.
The Where Culture Lives project was commissioned by the Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture and Science (OCW) in The Hague and on Bonaire (OCW and OCW-CG) and is managed by St. Maarten-based consultancy Lemonade B.V.
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