The John Blankenstein Prize 2013 is the annual gay emancipation prize of the city of The Hague. This prize emphasizes the importance of an equal position and participation of gay men and women. The Municipality of The Hague established the prize in 2009 with the aim of being an instrument with which The Hague demonstrates its appreciation to an organisation, person or group of persons for their contribution to gay emancipation in The Hague. The organization of the prize is in the hands of COC Haaglanden.

The annual presentation highlights the importance of making and keeping the theme of homosexuality a topic for discussion. Anyone who contributes to this will be eligible for the prize.

For who?

Individuals but also companies, organisations, projects and initiatives can be nominated. Such as a company that consciously strives for a more gay-friendly environment for its employees, a school that is committed to achieving a gay-straight alliance; or a neighborhood that concludes a covenant against violence against people with sexual diversity.

It may be a recent activity, but something that has been going on for a while is also welcome. The condition is that it has to do with The Hague. The John Blankenstein Prize 2013 of the city of The Hague aims to inspire and encourage all residents of The Hague – man, woman, old, young and from all possible backgrounds – to be open to a safe and gay-friendly environment.

Nominate?

Nominations can be sent to johnblankensteinprijs@cochaaglanden.nl. The closing date is September 30, 2013. Need information or help submitting a nomination? Consult www.cochaaglanden.nl  or contact COC Haaglanden. Previous winners are also listed on the website.

Jury

The nominations are judged by a jury consisting of Frits Huffnagel (former alderman), Karin Nederpelt (chairman of the John Blankenstein Foundation), Kim Waanders (member of the city council of The Hague), Renate den Heijer (transgender activist) and Patrick Pool (member Roze in Blauw, The Hague police).

presentation!

The jury will nominate three nominations from which the winner will be announced during the award ceremony in November. The prize is awarded by alderman Karsten Klein and consists of an art object and a cash prize of 2.500 euros. In addition, the winner can count on the necessary publicity for a year as an 'ambassador' of the prize.