The Karel Van Eerd Music Award
The most valuable jazz award! The Karel van Eerd Music Award celebrates the greatness of jazz music with exciting initiatives and revolutionary prizes.
In the first two editions we have seen hundreds of bands from all over the world. Six prize winners of which two bands have won a completely organized European tour worth €25.000! Stay updated and follow our socials. A third edition is coming in the beginning of 2023!
Who won '22?
Sons of Freud’s Wife are the winners of the Grand Prize! They won over the jury and
public with their charismatic performance.
What is the Karel van Eerd Music Award?
An international jazz band showcase, festival, and competition, as well as a beautiful statue that represents a commitment to the rejuvenation of the jazz industry, starting from the ground up.
How do I win?
The International Band Contest for the Karel van Eerd Music Award is open to all jazz bands and bands performing “jazz-adjacent” music and will consist of two phases: Online and Live Concert. Read More >
In the Online Phase, artists submit their information, recent work, and a questionnaire on the band’s ambitions. The Award’s nominating committee will make a first selection of semi-finalists based on the strength and coherence of each band’s musical quality, performance ability, online sites and profiles, and sheer entertainment factor. Some bands will be stronger in one category or another. After this first selection, fans and the public will vote, along with the award committee, and select the finalists.
In the Live Concert Phase, the finalist bands will meet in Breda, NL for a series of performances in front of an expert Jury and supportive live audience. Win over the jury like you would in any other concert and win the contest! The jury will pick based on musical quality, performance ability, and sheer entertainment factor. See our COVID Policy page for clear information about contingency plans for the Live Concert Phase. < Read Less
What can I win?
The Karel Van Eerd Music Award Committee will jointly pick one band to receive The Grand Prize: a unique live career kickstart opportunity, a Tour Production Deal worth €25.000,00 on the band’s next (or first!) European Tour. Read More >
A concert tour through Europe (or parts of it, to be determined in close collaboration with the winning band) can only be successfull if all boxes are ticked. Obviously an amazing band is the most important requirement, but not the only one. Local promoters, bespoke advertizing, a professional band representation online, audio and video content both to promote the tour and to share with new and existing fans.
The success of a tour does not lie in the actual journey but on how to follow up the concerts with all the fans and promoters you met along the way. Also needed are services such as band merchandise, professional tour management, logistics. Read more on the prizes page.
Every finalist will go home with a prize. Besides The Grand Prize, one outstanding performer will win the Individual Prize. One additional outstanding band will win the The Jury Prize and the other two finalists will win the Finalist Prize. More information can be found on the prizes page. < Read Less
News
Latest articles
The winners of the second edition!
That was it! The second edition of the Karel van Eerd Music Award is officially over. Last Thursday, four bands tried to win over the public and jury. And they did! Choosing the winners proved to be quite a difficult task once again. The final decision as winner of the Grand Prize: Sons of Freud’s wife!
Read MoreKVEMA Edition 2 - The Finalists
Out of 65 registered bands only 30 were chosen for the semi-finals. They worked hard to gather as much public votes as possible and secure the sixth jury vote with this. The other five votes came from the jury members who accessed each band based on their band profile and online materials. Introducing the finalists:
Read MoreHere are the semi-finalists!
The first phase of the 2022 edition of KVEMA has passed. Once again, we are amazed by the high level of the registered bands and are truly grateful for everyone’s participation. The first edition was a great success and by the looks of it, this edition will definitely top that!
Read More