Frederik & Mary present Culture Prize 2008

Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary presented their annual Culture Prize for 2008 this evening at the Opera House in Copenhagen. The winner of the Culture Prize for 2008 is singer and song writer Tina Dickow. The Crown Prince Couple's Culture Prize also includes the award of a large donation of funds to a humanitarian organisation. The humanitarian prize has gone to a project called 'Morgencaféen for Hjemløse' (Morning coffee for the homeless) which is on Blågårds Plads in Nørrebro, Copenhagen. The morning café in Blågårds Place is an established project aimed at meeting the basic needs of homeless and psychologically ill people, and is where they can find warmth and care, and the opportunity for a cheap meal and washing facilities. The project was started by residents from FSB Blågården and volunteers who have taken social responsibility for some of the weakest members of the community. Morgencaféen also has a health visitor who checks wounds and provides other physical and mental health first aid and nursing. The organisation has now recieved the Crown Prince Couple's Humanitarian Prize of a donation of 250,000 DKK to continue the good work.

The Crown Prince Couple's Award was founded in 2004 as a gift from Bikubenfonden on the marriage of Crown Prince Frederik to Mary Donaldson in May 2004. The Crown Prince Couple's Award has three aims, to award a young, outstanding Danish artist for encouragement, give a donation for a humanitarian or charitable organisation and feature both a Danish and international band at the Opera House gala, chosen by the Crown Prince Couple. For this year the featured international artists were the British triphop/electronica-pioneers 'Massive Attack' and the Danish band was 'L.O.C.' and some other special guests. The hosts for the evening were Anders Lund Madsen and Anders Breinholt.



Below, from Kim Agersten/POLFOTO, Frederik and Mary arrive, also Caroline and Peter Heering, Tanja Doky and Chris Minh Doky. Making the presentations and speeches, and, Mary missing an earring (?)



Crown Prince Frederik's speech to Tina Dickow (in Danish)
Crown Princess Mary's speech to Thomas Skjold & Michael Espensen of Morgencaféen (in Danish)

Billed Bladet 'Tina Dickow modtog Kronprinsparrets kulturpris' - Tina Dickow receives Crown Prince Couple's Culture Prize
Crown Prince Frederik handed over the Crown Prince Couple's Culture Prize 2008 to the talented young Tina Dickow.
The singer, song writer and musician Tina Dickow was awarded the Crown Prince Couple's Culture Prize 2008 on Sunday evening at the Opera House at Holmen in Copenhagen.
It was a Crown Prince Frederik in good form who stood on the large stage together with Crown Princess Mary, and with the words "a musician who will really be heard", presented the cultural award and a cheque for 500,000 DKK to the Århusian singer.
Crown Prince Frederik, who is clearly impressed by the 31-year-old singer, praised her talent in his speech.
"It demands a special talent to write songs which combine good melody and exciting language along with personal and the commonly experienced observations in question these days," the Crown Prince said about Tina Dickow.
It's fourth time that the cultural award has been given to a younger figure in Danish art and cultural life.
Politiken 'Tina Dickow får kongelig kulturpris' (in Danish)
Berlingske Tidende 'Kronprinsparrets Kulturpris til Tina Dickow' (in Danish)
Jyllands Posten 'Kronprinsen: Du er en stjerne' (in Danish)
DR.dk article 'Kronprinsens kulturpris til Tina Dickow' (in Danish)
B.T. 'Frederik og Mary giver Tina Dickow en halv mio.' (in Danish)
TV2 article 'Kronprinsparret vilde med Dickow' (in Danish)
Århus Stiftstidende 'Tina Dickow forgyldt af kronprinsen' (in Danish)
Fyens Stifstidende 'Royal kulturpris og ros til Tina Dickow' (in Danish)

Photos © Kim Agersten/POLFOTO/Fyens.dk, Jens Nørgaard Larsen/BerlingskeTidende, Sanne Vils Axelsen/Jyllands Posten, Peter Hove Olesen/Politiken, Billed Bladet/POLFOTO, Hola

Søren Steffen's photo gallery

DR.dk video clip (32:58) - see the two presentations by Frederik and Mary and all speeches as well as performances by Massive Attack and the prize winner Tina Dickow
DR.dk program (58:43) - the whole program as aired by DR (thanks DR!)

Thanks gudinde, Tamriko and Ayvee!

Frederik & Mary award their Culture Prize

Tonight the Crown Prince Couple have awarded their annual Culture Prize at the Opera House in Copenhagen. At this awards and concert evening, the couple honour the work of idividuals and humanitarian organisations with large donations. This year Danish actress Sonja Richter and the charity organisation Ventilen have been awarded the prize. See the Danish Crown Prince Couple's Award for the details of how the funds for this award come from a wedding present to Mary and Frederik from the Bikuben Foundation and its history since 2004.



Crown Princess Mary's speech (in Danish)
Crown Prince Frederik's speech (in Danish)

Crown Prince Couple's Culture Prize (in English)
Sonja Richter fik kongelig kulturpris DR1 article in Danish
Ventilen.dk (Danish)
Bikuben Foundation (Danish)

Frederik og Mary gav pris til Sonja Richter TV2 article in Danish (Frederik and Mary give prize to Sonja Richter)
Kronprinsparrets kulturpris til Sonja Richter B.T. article in Danish

Madeleine Glindorf's gallery (15 photos)
Søren Steffen's gallery (53 photos)
B.T. photo gallery

From The Copenhagen Post:

Royal awards recognise actress
24 September 2007
For the third year running, the crown prince and princess have awarded the cream of Danish culture.
Actress Sonja Richter joined the ranks of internationally-recognised Danish artists like Olafur Eliasson and Per Fly on Sunday evening as she received the royal couple’s third annual Culture Prize.
Ricther, 33, enjoyed her breakthrough in the 2002 Susanne Bier movie ‘Open Hearts’, and has since showed her versatility, performing on the small and silver screen as well as the stage in a wide range of roles.
Presenting the DKK 500,000 (EUR 67,000) award, Crown Prince Frederik praised Richter's ‘incredible ability to reach out to the audience and touch us with an inexplicable strength that opens a path directly into the human mind’.
Referring to a recurring dream Richter's character has in which she envisions herself invisible on top of a massive diamond that reflects the audience’s emotions, the crown prince called Richter a ‘diamond girl who has just begun to shine’.
In addition to recognising an artist for their work, the royal couple also donates DKK 250,000 to a humanitarian organisation. For the third year running the award went to a charity that helps children.
Crown Princess Mary presented the award to Ventilen, a group that helps to build self-esteem. The organisation’s name is a play on the Danish words for ‘vent’ and ‘a friend to someone’.
The previous winners of the award were Save the Children for its anti-bullying programme, and the Danish Christmas Seal organisation for its on-going effort to prevent child obesity.CP