We are delighted to have been awarded the NRW Venue Program Prize again this year, presented by the Ministry of Culture and Science of North Rhine-Westphalia and the North Rhine-Westphalia State Music Council.
We would like to express our heartfelt thanks to the jury, the State Music Council for organizing the event, and the Ministry and Minister Ina Brandes for their recognition and appreciation.
by Robert von Zahn – North Rhine-Westphalia State Music Council
The presentation of the NRW Venue Program Awards on December 10, 2025, at the LOFT in Cologne brought together guests from the worlds of culture, politics, and the independent music scene, once again highlighting the central role that independent venues play in the musical diversity of North Rhine-Westphalia. Host Benedikt Müller opened the evening with a warm welcome and explained the network of cultural enterprises that the LOFT represents.
The president of the Landesmusikrat NRW, Christine Siegert, praised the dedicated work of the venues in the independent scene, which, despite difficult conditions, develop curatorial concepts, organize programs, and promote young musical talent as well as experimental projects. She reminded the audience how indispensable these venues are for a lively, diverse music scene and how much they contribute to social cohesion.
They and presenter Abhilash Arackal emphasized the cultural and political significance of the NRW Venue Program Award, which was presented for the 17th time by the Ministry of Culture and Science and the NRW State Music Council. Even in times of tight budgets, the continuation of this funding instrument sends a clear signal of appreciation to those who make music possible every day with their passion.
A quartet provided jazz music for the ceremony: Felix Bork on trumpet, Xaver Bodenstein on guitar, Lena Lorberg on bass, and Niklas Wittig on drums are students at the Cologne University of Music and Dance and also play in BuJazzO, the big band of the German Music Council. Shannon Barnett from the Cologne University of Music and Dance and 1st chairwoman of the LOFT’s supporting association recommended the quartet for the ceremony. The music illustrated how much independent stages give artists a home and expand stylistic boundaries.
Culture Minister Ina Brandes was delighted to award 21 venues. Together, they will receive €130,000. In 2026, this figure will rise to €180,000, as announced by the minister – recognition for outstanding programs in jazz, improvised music, advanced pop, and related genres. Ina Brandes emphasized the social and cultural significance of independent music venues and highlighted how important their ongoing work is for the cultural infrastructure of the state. She then personally presented the certificates to the representatives of the award-winning venues.
Domicil (Dortmund) will receive a prize of €12,000, while €8,000 will go to Goldkante (Bochum), Loch (Wuppertal), Werkstatt (Gelsenkirchen), and zakk (Düsseldorf). Artheater (Cologne), Bilker Bunker/Schleuse 2 (Düsseldorf), Klangbrücke (Aachen), Loft (Cologne), and Parzelle im Depot (Dortmund) will each receive a prize of €6,000. Black Box im Cuba (Münster), the Bunker Ulmenwall (Bielefeld), the Dumont (Aachen), the Insel (Wuppertal), the Jazz Club Minden, the Jazzkeller Krefeld, the Jazz-Schmiede (Düsseldorf), the Katakomben Theater (Essen), the King Georg (Cologne), the ORT (Wuppertal), and the Salon de Jazz (Cologne) will each receive €5,000.
Hans Martin Müller © Thomas Ahrendt
The official part was followed by a speech by Hans-Martin Müller, founder of LOFT and a leading figure in Cologne’s improvised music scene for decades. At the end of the evening, Arackal introduced the jury, which consisted of Ulla Oster, Christina Lux, Tim Isfort, and Jens Pyper from the Ministry of Culture, as well as himself.
The quartet once again provided the musical finale, bringing the evening to an atmospheric close. Many guests took the opportunity to chat with each other at the reception that followed, make new contacts, and reflect on the importance of the framework conditions of their daily work.
