We are honored to announce that Musicians Without Borders has won the ELJA Foundation Award 2025!
ELJA Foundation’s bi-annual program, celebrating the power of the arts and their crucial importance for young people, was held in front of a full house at Amsterdam’s Delamar Theater yesterday (25th November 2025). The highpoint of the afternoon was the closing presentation of this prestigious award, given by the ELJA Foundation to individuals or organizations in The Netherlands who are exemplary role models in developing programs in the fields of music, dance, and the visual arts, helping to prepare children and young people from diverse backgrounds for the future, and to foster cohesion among them.
The ELJA Award is an incredible recognition of our work, and we’re thankful to the ELJA Foundation not just for considering us, but for awarding us this special prize.
Laura Hassler, our founder and director, quoted speaker Ramsey Nasr’s definition of the true power of the arts as creating ‘radical empathy’: the experience of feeling the reality of ‘the other’, of those without a voice, or money, or choice. The understanding that the arts mean so much more than individual expression or achievement, but exactly the connection with others that is so essential to the survival of life and community and planet. And the demand of our times, of turning that understanding to activism, to engagement, to the courage to challenge and to change. Indeed, we understand ‘radical empathy’ as the guiding principle behind the vision and work of Musicians Without Borders (thank you, Ramsey Nasr!)
Astrid Rose, director of the ELJA Foundation: “The award reflects our mission to bring children and young people into contact through art and culture, and to help them develop their talents. For more than 25 years, Musicians Without Borders has been showing how music can contribute to healing, trust, and cohesion, precisely in those places where they are needed most. Their work is a powerful example of how the arts can change lives.”
The ELJA Foundation’s jury said “The judges have declared Musicians Without Borders winner of the ELJA Foundation Award 2025. The MWB’s programmes are a resounding source of hope in situations where many children and young people experience little but silence and insecurity. With music as its unifying language, the organization is able to bridge differences and offer young people a new perspective. Their approach, joining artistic quality with social engagement, shows how music can contribute to healing, cohesion and social change. Annually, MWB reaches over a thousand children and young people at sixteen refugee centers (within The Netherlands), cooperating with professional musicians and conservatoires, further disseminating their knowledge and commitment. The judges praise the professionalism, integrity, and cultural sensitivity with which MWB is able to create lasting trust among participants and partners. Musicians Without Borders shows how music can bring children and young people into contact and give them confidence and trust in themselves and the world around them”
We want to thank all who made this award possible, from everyone at the ELJA Foundation to everyone involved in our project in The Netherlands. We also want to give a shout out to the other finalists, Fina Ferreira and Kunstbende, two incredibly strong candidates whose work is also so important.
