Grand Prix for The Cypriot Fiddler project celebrated in Nicosia

The long-term ethnographic research project The Cypriot Fiddler led by Dr. Nicoletta Demetriou, recipient of both a European Heritage Award / Europa Nostra Award 2026 and the Grand Prix in Research 2026, was held at the Stelios Philanthropic Foundation on 17 September in Nicosia, Cyprus. The event was organised by the Europa Nostra Heritage Hub in Nicosia in collaboration with the Cyprus Music Archive.

For more than two decades, The Cypriot Fiddler has documented and safeguarded an important part of Cyprus’s intangible cultural heritage, preserving the island’s musical traditions and the knowledge and stories of the people who keep them alive. The Grand Prix recognises the project’s outstanding contribution to the preservation and transmission of living heritage, celebrating the musicians, communities and cultural practitioners who ensure that these traditions continue to thrive and reach future generations.

The ceremony brought together representatives of Cyprus’ cultural and academic communities, public institutions, and members of both the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot communities, highlighting the importance of musical heritage as a shared cultural resource that connects people and communities across the island.

Among the participants in the event were the Deputy Minister of Culture, Clea Hatzistefanou-Papaellina; the Head of the Representation of the European Commission in Cyprus, Panicos Pourgourides; the Vice-President of Europa Nostra and Chair of the Europa Nostra Heritage Hub in Nicosia, Androulla Vassiliou; the Rector of the University of Cyprus, Professor Tasos Christofides; and the President of The Cyprus Institute, Dr. Stavros Malas.

The ceremony concluded with a reception kindly hosted by the Stelios Philanthropic Foundation.