The first-ever Ukrainian Jazz Prize has taken another important step from recognition to international opportunity, with Grand Prix winners Hyphen Dash presented to European audiences through a concert tour around the 2026 European Jazz Conference in Cologne.

The Ukrainian Institute and Europe Jazz Network launched the Ukrainian Jazz Prize in 2025 to recognise outstanding artists from Ukraine and create concrete opportunities for their international development. The Grand Prix was awarded to Kyiv-based quartet Hyphen Dash by an international jury of leading European jazz professionals.

As part of the prize, Hyphen Dash performed across several EJN member venues in Austria, Germany and the Netherlands:

• 23 September — Porgy & Bess, Vienna 
• 24 September — Jazzclub Unterfahrt, Munich 
• 26 September — European Jazz Conference, Cologne — Ukrainian Jazz Prize award ceremony and concert 
• 27 September — Bimhuis, Amsterdam 
• 28 September — NICA Jazz Club, Hamburg 

The tour culminated at the European Jazz Conference in Cologne, where Hyphen Dash officially received the Ukrainian Jazz Prize Grand Prix and performed for the international EJN community.

The award was presented as part of the programme of the European Jazz Conference, bringing together jazz professionals from across Europe and providing a significant platform for the Ukrainian musicians to connect with presenters, festivals, venues and networks.

From award to international stage

For the Ukrainian Jazz Prize, the European tour is more than a prize ceremony: it is a practical mechanism for connecting artists from Ukraine with the European jazz ecosystem.

The collaboration with EJN members made it possible to combine performances with professional networking and introduce Hyphen Dash to new audiences and potential partners across several European jazz scenes.

The tour also demonstrates the importance of long-term cooperation between Ukrainian and European jazz organisations at a time when musicians and the wider cultural sector in Ukraine continue to work under the conditions of Russia's full-scale war.

Hyphen Dash — Mykhailo Birchenko (drums), Yevhen Puhachov (guitar, bass), Polina Maiboroda (keys) and Dmytro Startsev (keys, effects) — represent a young generation of Ukrainian musicians developing an individual approach to contemporary jazz, improvisation and electronic sound.

The Ukrainian Jazz Prize is organised by the Ukrainian Institute in partnership with Europe Jazz Network, with the aim of making international cooperation a sustainable part of the development of Ukraine's jazz scene.

The 2026 Hyphen Dash tour is an example of what this partnership can make possible: a national award becoming a gateway to European stages, professional networks and new artistic connections.