Queen Mathilde Presents “Queen Mathilde Prize” 2018

Today, Wednesday May 16, Queen Mathilde handed out the “Queen Mathilde Prize” 2018 in a ceremony held at the Royal Palace in Brussels.

Like last year, theme of the prize was “Music Connects”, to stress the commitment of music in the help of young people in a vulnerable situation. This year, for the first time, there were two winners of the prize: the associations Un! K and Commusaic.

Un! K was awarded for the organization of the Unisound BW Festival, a music festival that is totally accessible by young people with visual, physical or auditory disabilities. The association aims to achieve more social inclusion and social justice. The festival, will takes place on 28 and 29 June 2018 in Court-Saint-Etienne.

Remise du Prix Reine Mathilde 2018 – Music Connects #KMF @KBS_FRB pic.twitter.com/Gxvl5FAGKy

— Belgian Royal Palace (@MonarchieBe) May 16, 2018

Commusaic was awarded for the project “Beyond beats and bars”. With this project vulnerable young people aged 14 to 20, who are living in four detention centers in the north of the country, get the chance to make a hip-hop album together.

Queen Mathilde in her speech stressed the importance of the music for the young people, saying that “music can really help young people get started in life” and “Discovering music, learning, playing an instrument, singing together: it all helps to make you feel better, gain self-knowledge, develop more confidence, and feel that you belong to it. And we know how important that is for teenagers. Vulnerable young people get music out of their social isolation.”

Koningin Mathildeprijs looft voor het eerst twee laureaten https://t.co/ZIslR5KOm2 pic.twitter.com/tkpe6X3IsL

— DutchNewsAgency (@DNA_Feed) May 16, 2018

Filed under Belgium.