These are the nominees of the Piket Art Prizes 2025

“The jury, composed of professionals from The Hague’s arts scene, has once again made a surprising and diverse selection of promising talents, many of whom are already well on their way to successful artistic careers. The Piket Art Prizes are delighted to give all nine nominees an extra financial and promotional boost to help their potential fully blossom,” says director Marie Jeanne de Rooij. The awards ceremony will take place on Monday evening, November 10, at Theater aan het Spui in The Hague.

Livia Claesson, Jemima de Jonge, and Carmen Roca Igual have been nominated in the Painting category; Chandenie Gobardhan, Giulio Hoxhallari, and Annabel Koele in Dance; and Kollektief op Kracht, Hélène Vrijdag, and Mike Zanting were selected by the professional jury in the Theatre category.

“It feels special that my work is being noticed and appreciated,” says Jemima de Jonge. “The nomination also brings peace of mind, because the prize money allows me to invest in my development.”

Actor Mike Zanting is “surprised and touched” by the nomination. “It’s really special to be seen and recognized so soon after graduating. It’s a huge honour,” he says. “This nomination feels like encouragement — that you shouldn’t give up, that you’re on the right track, and that your work matters.”

Dancer and choreographer Chandenie Gobardhan sees the nomination as motivation: “It inspires me to continue creating, researching, and sharing with even more confidence and curiosity. I feel grateful that my work — which often moves between worlds and can be hard to categorize — is being recognized within this field.”.

The Jury

Each year, a professional jury — once again chaired by Majel Blonden, director of pop venue Paard — searches for young, talented artists with a connection to The Hague.
This year’s jury includes visual artist Pietertje van Splunter, Johan Gustavsson (Experimental Art Space 1646), Erik Kaiel (dance collective Arch8/Theater Rotterdam), Mitchell-lee van Rooij (Korzo), and new theatre jury members Joep Hendrikx (Poezieboys) and Nadine van Pinxteren (Het Nationale Theater, de Parade).

Award Ceremony

In each discipline — Painting, Dance, and Theatre — the jury selects one main winner, who receives a €6,000 cash prize. The other nominees each receive €3,000. All nominees also receive an award — the Hammer — specially designed for the Piket Art Prizes by renowned artist Joep van Lieshout.

About the Piket Art Prizes

Since 2014, the Piket Art Prizes have been awarded to young artists with a connection to The Hague — either because they have developed their careers there or because their work contributes to the city’s vibrant cultural climate.
The prize is named after Frederik Hendrik Piket (1927–2011), a lawyer and member of the Dutch Senate for the CHU (later CDA), who was a passionate lover of art and culture. After his death, a foundation was established to support promising professional artists under the age of 30 with this annual award.

From left to right: Annabel Koele, Carmen Roca Igual, Chandenie Gobardhan, Giulio Hoxhallari, Hélène Vrijdag, Jemima de Jonge, Kollektief op Kracht, Livia Claesson, and Mike Zanting.
Photo by Eliza-Sophie Sèkrève / foto juv (Giulio Hoxhallari)