Annual awards

The ceremony of the music endowments' annual awards is held on International Music Day, on the 1st of October.

The Music Endowment recognizes creative individuals for outstanding achievements and long-term contributions to the development of their field. Each year, the fund’s council awards annual prizes, one lifetime achievement award, and one main sectoral award. Candidates for the awards can be nominated by organizations, associations, institutions, and individuals related to professional music.

 Awards are granted based on proposals or at the initiative of the fund itself. Justified proposals must be submitted to the fund by August 20. Detailed information can be found in the fund’s distribution guidelines.

The Sound Art Endowment Fund’s annual awards are presented every year on International Music Day, October 1. Since 2008, the awards have been given in collaboration with the Estonian Music Council on Music Day.

The Lifetime Achievement Award and the Main Sectoral Award are presented at the Cultural Endowment’s joint formal gala event.

International Music Day was established in 1975 at the initiative of Yehudi Menuhin, the then-president of the International Music Council and a legendary violinist. On this day, Menuhin called for recognizing the importance of music in everyone’s lives, emphasizing that music is one of humanity’s cornerstones.

The names of previous annual award laureates can be found here