The Prince Claus Fund was established in 1996. It was named after Prince Claus of the Netherlands, the late husband of Queen Beatrix. It is annually subsidized by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Since 1997, the fund has presented the international Prince Claus Awards annually to recognize individuals and organizations for their contemporary approaches to culture and development. Recipients are primarily based in Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Caribbean.
The recipients are selected by a jury composed of experts from fields related to the promotion of culture and development.PCF, "About the Prince Claus Awards", op. cit.
The jury evaluates candidates based on the cultural and social impact of their work, as well as its overall quality. The Prince Claus Fund defines culture broadly, including artistic and intellectual disciplines, science, media, and education.
The Principal Award, valued at , is presented each December during a ceremony at the Royal Palace in Amsterdam. Additional awards, each valued at , are presented in December and January at Dutch embassies in the recipients' respective countries.
Each year, the Fund publishes a book that includes the awards speech delivered by one of the Honorary Chairmen, an excerpt from a lecture by a leading thinker, the jury's report, and analyses of the laureates' work by experts in their respective fields.
The 1997 Prince Claus Awards
Theme
The 1997 awards reflected the policy aims of the Prince Claus Fund: recognizing exceptional work in culture and development in Asia, Latin America, and especially Africa.
Laureates
The Zimbabwe International Book Fair (Principal Award) Council for the Development of Social Science Research in Africa (CODESRIA) (Senegal) Index on Censorship (United Kingdom), an organization for the freedom of speech Malangatana Ngwenya (Mozambique), artist, painter and poet Joseph Hanson Kwabena Nketia (Ghana), ethnomusicologist and composer Sardono Waluyo Kusumo (Indonesia), choreographer, dancer and filmmaker Bruno Stagno (Chile/Costa Rica), architect Jim Supangkat (Indonesia), sculptor, art critic and curator Abdeljelil Temimi (Tunisia), historian Ernest Wamba dia Wamba (D.R. Congo/Tanzania), political philosopher
Committee
The Committee consisted of Adriaan van der Staay, Lolle Nauta, and Anil Ramdas.
The 1998 Prince Claus Awards
Theme
"The Art of African Fashion"
Laureates
Alphadi (Niger) (Principal Award), fashion designer Oumou Sy (Senegal) (Principal Award), fashion designer Tetteh Adzedu (Ghana) (Principal Award), fashion designer Rakhshan Bani-E'temad (Iran), filmmaker Heri Dono (Indonesia), artist, painter, sculptor and installation artist Ticio Escobar (Paraguay), art critic, curator and museum director Jyotindra Jain (India), art and culture scientist Jean-Baptiste Kiéthéga (Burkina Faso), an archeologist and historian David Koloane (South Africa), visual artist and curator Baaba Maal (Senegal), singer Carlos Monsiváis (Mexico), writer, philosopher and journalist Redza Piyadasa (Malaysia), artist and art critic Rogelio Salmona (Colombia), architect Kumar Shahani (India), filmmaker Tian Zhuangzhuang (China), filmmaker Nazik Saba Yared (Lebanon), writer, essayist and literature critic
Committee
Adriaan van der Staay, Charles Correa, Emile Fallaux, Mai Ghoussoub, Gaston Kaboré, Gerardo Mosquera.
The 1999 Prince Claus Awards
Theme
"Creating Spaces of Freedom"
Laureates
Mohand Fellag (France/Algeria) (Principal Award), comedian, actor and writer Vitral (Cuba) (Principal Award), socio-cultural magazine Al Jazeera (Qatar) (Principal Award), an independent television network Patrick Chamoiseau (Martinique), writer Paulin J. Hountondji (Benin), philosopher Cildo Meireles (Brazil), sculptor, installation and conceptual artist Pepetela (Angola), writer Dessalegn Rahmato (Ethiopia), sociologist Juana Marta Rodas and Julia Isídrez (Paraguay), ceramics artists Claudia Roden (United Kingdom/Egypt), cookery book writer Cheick Oumar Sissoko (Mali), filmmaker Tsai Chih Chung (Taiwan), cartoonist, comic strip artist and cartoon filmmaker Ken Yeang (Malaysia), architect
Committee
Adriaan van der Staay, Charles Correa, Emile Fallaux, Mai Ghoussoub, Gaston Kaboré, Gerardo Mosquera.
The 2000 Prince Claus Awards
Theme
"Urban Heroes"
Laureates
Jaime Lerner (Brazil) (Principal Award), architect Viva Rio (Brazil) (Principal Award), social work peace organization Francisco Toledo (Mexico) (Principal Award), artist painter Bush Radio (South Africa), independent radio station Communalism Combat (India), a human rights organization Cui Jian (China), singer-songwriter, trumpeter, guitarist and film actor Film Resource Unit (South Africa), independent film distributor Arif Hasan (Pakistan), architect, urban planner, socio-philosopher and poet Bhupen Khakhar (India), visual artist Komal Kothari (India), ethnomusicologist Werewere Liking (Ivory Coast), art painter, filmmaker and writer Ayu Utami (Indonesia), radio broadcaster and writer Van Leo (Egypt), photographer
Committee
Adriaan van der Staay, Charles Correa, Emile Fallaux, Mai Ghoussoub, Gaston Kaboré, Gerardo Mosquera, Bruno Stagno.
The 2001 Prince Claus Awards
Theme
"A Carnival."
Laureates
Summer Carnival, Rotterdam (Netherlands) (Principal Award), Caribbean carnival Peter Minshall, designer (Trinidad) (Principal Award), carnival costume designer Chris Abani (Nigeria), writer and poet Duong Thu Huong (Vietnam), writer Samuel Fosso (Cameroon), photographer Jahan-e Ketab (Iran), a literary magazine Miri Maftun (Afghanistan), ethnomusicologist Antun Maqdisi (Syria), a political philosopher Ibrahim el-Salahi (Sudan/United Kingdom), artist and painter Elena Rivera Mirano (United States, Philippines), singer, choir leader and musicologist Talingo (Panama), a cultural magazine Iván Thays (Peru), writer
Committee
Adriaan van der Staay, Charles Correa, Mai Ghoussoub, Gaston Kaboré, Gerardo Mosquera, Bruno Stagno.
The 2002 Prince Claus Awards
Theme
"Languages and transcultural forms of expression."
Laureates
Mohamed Chafik (Morocco) (Principal Award), writer Marcelo Araúz Lavadenz (Bolivia), festival director, cultural promoter and choir leader Ali Farzat (Syria), cartoonist Ferreira Gullar (Brazil), writer and art critic Amira Hass (Israel), writer Institute for Islamic and Social Studies (Indonesia), human rights organization and study center Virginia Pérez-Ratton (Costa Rica), artist, art critic and curator Youssou N'Dour (Senegal), singer Walter Tournier (Uruguay), animation filmmaker Wu Liangyong (China), town-planner
Committee
Adriaan van der Staay, Sadiq Jalal al-Azm, Aracy Amaral, Goenawan Mohamad, Pedro Pimenta, Claudia Roden, Bruno Stagno.
The 2003 Prince Claus Awards
Theme
"The Survival and Innovation of Crafts"
Laureates
Wang Shixiang (China) (Principal Award), art collector and poet The 2002 Arab Human Development Report from notably Nader Fergany (Egypt) Mathare Youth Sports Association (Kenya), a development aid organization Carlinhos Brown (Brazil), singer-songwriter and percussionist Lita Stantic (Argentina), filmmaker District Six Museum (South Africa), a museum on apartheid in South Africa Hasan Saltık (Turkey), music producer Mick Pearce (Zimbabwe), architect Reyum Institute of Arts and Culture (Cambodia), art and culture institute G. N. Devy (India), tribal researcher, writer and literary critic Yovita Meta (Indonesia), fashion designer and artisan
Committee
Adriaan van der Staay, Aracy Amaral, Sadik Al-Azm, Goenawan Mohamad, Pedro Pimenta, Claudia Roden, Bruno Stagno.
The 2004 Prince Claus Awards
Theme
"The positive results of Asylum and Migration"
Laureates
Mahmoud Darwish (Palestine) (Principal Award), poet and writer Jawad al-Assadi (Iraq), theater maker and poet Tin Moe (Burma), poet Ivaldo Bertazzo (Brazil), dancer and choreographer Bhutan Archery Federation (Bhutan), cultural archery society Halet Çambel (Turkey), archeologist Omara Khan Massoudi (Afghanistan), museum director Memoria Abierta (Argentina), human rights organization Farroukh Qasim (Tajikistan), theater maker Aminata Traoré (Mali), writer and political activist
Committee
Adriaan van der Staay, Aracy Amaral, Sadik Al-Azm, Goenawan Mohamad, Pedro Pimenta, Claudia Roden, Bruno Stagno.
The 2005 Prince Claus Awards
Theme
"Humour and Satire"
Laureates
Jonathan Shapiro, alias Zapiro (South Africa) (Principal Award), cartoonist Lenin El-Ramly (Egypt), writer and director Slamet Gundono (Indonesia), wayang puppeteer and artist Edgar Langeveldt (Zimbabwe), stand-up comedian, singer-songwriter and actor Michael Poghosyan (Armenia), actor, singer and cabaret performer Joaquín Salvador Lavado, alias Quino (Argentina), cartoonist and comic strip artist Ebrahim Nabavi (Iran), writer and satirist Chéri Samba (D.R. Congo), artist painter Niède Guidon (Brazil), archeologist Abdul Sheriff (Tanzania), museum director Opiyo Okach (Kenya), dancer and choreographer
Committee
Niek Biegman, Aracy Amaral, Sadik Al-Azm, Goenawan Mohamad, Pedro Pimenta, Claudia Roden, Mick Pearce.FROM BOTTOM-OF-PAGE DOCUMENT on princeclausfund.org (PDF)
The 2006 Prince Claus Awards
Theme
"10 years of the Prince Claus Awards" (recapitulating visual arts, writing and publishing, theater, cultural education and debate, cultural heritage and education)
Laureates
Reza Abedini (Iran) (Principal Award), graphical artist and art critic Lida Abdul (Afghanistan), visual artist, videographer and photographer Christine Tohmé (Lebanon), curator and art promoter Erna Brodber (Jamaica), writer and sociologist Henry Chakava (Kenya), publisher Frankétienne (Haiti), writer, poet, dramatist, musician and artist painter Madeeha Gauhar (Pakistan), actress, writer, theater maker and women rights activist Michael Mel (Papua New Guinea), art scientist, curator, philosopher, musician and playwright Committee for Relevant Art (Nigeria), art platform Al Kamandjâti Association (Palestine), a musical development organization National Museum of Mali, archeological and ethnological museum
Committee
Selma Al-Radi, Manthia Diawara, Pablo Ortiz Monasterio, Amitav Ghosh, Virginia Pérez-Ratton, Mick Pearce, Niek Biegman.FROM PHOTO CAPTION ON on princeclausfund.org
The 2007 Prince Claus Awards
Theme
"Culture and Conflict"
Laureates Faustin Linyekula (D.R. Congo) (Principal Award), dancer and choreographer Patricia Ariza (Colombia), poet and actress Augusto Boal (Brazil), theater maker Emily Jacir (Palestine), visual artist Hollis Liverpool, alias Chalkdust (Trinidad and Tobago), calypso singer and writer Sudanese Writers Union (Sudan) Ars Aevi (Bosnia and Herzegovina), museum of art Oscar Hagerman (Mexico), architect and designer Harutyun Khachatryan (Armenia), filmmaker Godfrey Mwampembwa, alias Gado (Kenya), cartoonist Radio Isanganiro (Burundi), human rights promoter and radio station
Committee
Peter Geschiere, Manthia Diawara, Pablo Ortiz Monasterio, Mick Pearce, Virginia Pérez-Ratton, Selma Al-Radi.
The 2008 Prince Claus Awards
Theme
"Culture and the Human Body"
Laureates
Mamoni Raisom Goswami (India) (Principal Award), writer and poet Li Xianting (China), art critic Ganchugiyn Purevbat (Mongolia), artist painter, museum director and lama Ousmane Sow (Senegal), sculptor Dayanita Singh (India), photographer Elia Suleiman (Palestine), filmmaker James Iroha Uchechukwu (Nigeria), photographer Tania Bruguera (Cuba), visual artist Ma Ke (China), fashion designer Jeanguy Saintus (Haiti), dancer and choreographer Carlos Henríquez Consalvi (Venezuela/El Salvador), radio broadcaster and museum director
The 2009 Prince Claus Awards
Theme
«Culture and Nature»
Laureates Simón Vélez - (Colombia) (Principal Award), architect El Anatsui - (Ghana), sculptor Doual'art - (Cameroon), an art organization