The Europe Jazz Network (EJN), in proud partnership with Ukrainian Institute, is delighted to announce the launch of the inaugural Ukrainian Jazz Prize, an annual award meant to spotlight and support the most compelling jazz musicians and ensembles who continue to create music in Ukraine, despite the very harsh circumstances.
What is the Ukrainian Jazz Prize
The Prize was conceived to "recognise outstanding Ukrainian jazz musicians and bands who continue to create music in Ukraine." Its fundamental goal: to provide a platform for Ukrainian artists to gain international exposure and build meaningful connections with European festivals, venues and music industry professionals, facilitated through a concert tour across European countries supported by EJN and our members. We see the Prize as a seed for future collaborations: artists, promoters, festivals, venues across our network, potentially shaping joint tours, programming, residencies. This is a chance to build something sustainable, impactful and culturally meaningful.
How it works & timeline
An open competition has been officially launched, open to Ukrainian jazz musicians and bands. During the initial press announcement on 25 November 2025 at Origin Stage in Kyiv, the Prize structure was unveiled: a list of nominations, an international jury, and a roadmap including the award ceremony and a European concert tour. The name of the first laureate will be revealed in spring 2026. The award ceremony is scheduled during the next edition of the European Jazz Conference in September 2026, in Cologne.
What’s next
The open call for submissions is open now, with the deadline of 15 January 2026. Ukrainian jazz artists are encouraged to apply. A carefully selected international jury (all EJN members) will begin evaluating candidates immediately after that. The first laureate will be announced in spring 2026, leading up to a touring schedule through EJN’s member festivals and venues across Europe, with the support of EJN and of the Creative Europe programme of the European Union. We invite all our members, promoters, venues, festivals, to join and support the tour, offering Ukrainian talent a platform in Europe’s creative music venues.
For more information, application details or to signal interest as a host or partner: https://ui.org.ua/en/sectors-en/en-projects/ukrainian-jazz-prize-2025
