The Integration Foundation, in cooperation with the Ministry of Culture, is looking for proposals on who among Estonian people and organisations should be awarded for their activities supporting integration. Candidates can be submitted in four categories until 18 September 2023.
This year, the Integration Foundation and the Ministry of Culture will be giving awards to people and organisations that are developing integration for the 24th time. The integration awards were first given in 1999.
‘The integration awards are a recognition of those who help to find and value the common ground between different Estonian cultures and communities. In other words, those who contribute to increasing and maintaining the cohesion of our society. As with integration, recognition is based on everyone’s contribution – everyone’s suggestion of who deserves recognition,’ explains Ave Härsing, Head of Cultural Diversity Activities at the Integration Foundation.
Integration awards are given in four categories: Building Blocks of Integration (raising awareness of Estonia’s cultural diversity and long-term targeted activities to promote integration); Bridgebuilder of the Year (implementation of cooperation projects aimed at residents with a mother tongue other than Estonian); Spark of the Year (outstanding activities of a person or organisation in the field of integration); Messenger of the Year (shaping attitudes supporting integration through the media).
The recipients of the integration awards will be honoured by Minister of Culture Heidy Purga at a ceremony in December. The best among all candidates will be selected by a panel of experts in the field. Each of the award winners will receive a €1,000 prize.
‘Candidates for Bridgebuilder of the Year, Spark of the Year, and Messenger of the Year should be people and organisations for their activities that they started last year and will finish this September. In the Building Blocks of Integration category, we welcome those who have contributed to integration over a longer period of time. Detailed instructions on how to submit candidates can be found on the website of the foundation,’ said Ave Härsing.
Proposals for the candidates for the Integration Awards can be submitted until 18 September 2023. To do so, fill in the form published on the website of the Integration Foundation and send it to taotlus@integratsioon.ee with the keyword ‘Integration Awards 2022–2023’.
The winners of the integration awards of the last five years:
Building Blocks of Integration*
2022 Jelena Skulskaja and Marju Lauristin
2021 Not awarded
2020 MTÜ Eestimaa Rahvuste Ühendus
2019 Society of Tatar Culture of Ida-Viru County
2018 Ida-Virumaa Integration Centre
Bridgebuilder of the Year
2022 Shiftworks OÜ, led by Helen Sildna
2021 MTÜ Eesti Instituut
2020 MTÜ Eesti Pagulasabi
2019 Rahvusvaheline Maja MTÜ
2018 MTÜ Eriline Maailm Sillamäe Lastekaitseühing
Spark of the Year
2022 Anu Luure and Natalja Mjalitsina (Ukrainian School of the Tallinn Lilleküla Gymnasium)
2021 The Estonian women’s épée team, MTÜ Sofiit Klubi
2020 MTÜ Changemakers
2019 Logistika Pluss OÜ
2018 Anna Mironova
Messenger of the Year
2022 Public Relations Department of the Estonian National Museum
2021 Tiina Pärtel
2020 Arkadi Popov
2019 Andrei Hussainov
2018 Not awarded
* Cultural Promoter of the Year until 2021
Photo: Winners of the 2022 integration awards (Integration Foundation/ Sven Tupits)
