Helena Vaz da Silva Award Ceremony 2020, 23 October (19:00-20:30 CET)

José Tolentino Mendonça, one of the most original voices of Portuguese contemporary literature, and Archivist and Librarian of the Holy Roman Church, will receive the Helena Vaz da Silva European Award for Raising Public Awareness on Cultural Heritage 2020 at a ceremony on 23 October at the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation in Lisbon. Due to the safety precautions against COVID-19, the ceremony will be held for a restricted group of attendees.

Europa Nostra’s Secretary General Sneška Quaedvlieg-Mihailović will virtually address the audience (in English) at the beginning of the ceremony and introduce the laudatory video message by the United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres.

The Helena Vaz da Silva European Award Ceremony 2020 will be livestreamed (in Portuguese) between 19:00 and 20:30 CET on social media through the link below:

The Helena Vaz da Silva European Award was established in 2013 by Europa Nostra and its representation in Portugal, Centro Nacional de Cultura, in cooperation with the Portuguese Press Club.

PROGRAMME

Isabel Mota, President of the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation

Maria Calado, President of the Centro Nacional de Cultura and President of the Jury of the Award

Dinis de Abreu, President of the Portuguese Press Club

Graça Fonseca, Minister of Culture

Sneška Quaedvlieg-Mihailović, Secretary-General of Europa Nostra (virtual participation)

Laudatory message by António Guterres, United Nations Secretary-General (video message)

Acceptance speech by Cardinal Tolentino Mendonça
Presentation of the Helena Vaz da Silva European Award 2020 to José Tolentino Mendonça

Closing address by H.E. Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, President of the Republic of Portugal (video message)