Liepāja announces winners of second culture project competition
Of 34 applications submitted to Liepāja's second culture project competition this year, 15 diverse art, music, literature and heritage projects received funding. Projects will run from October 2026 to March 2027.
The Liepāja municipality has completed evaluation of its second culture project competition for 2026. Applications closed at midnight on August 25, with 34 submissions received in total. Of these, 15 projects were awarded funding following review by an eight-member panel of industry professionals chaired by Nauris Lazdāns.
The supported initiatives span a wide range of cultural and creative fields. Plans include creating a formal ceremonial costume for Liepāja, publishing a novel by Andra Manfelde, and continuing the Liepāja Radio Theatre and the hip-hop culture radio programme "Īsāk sakot – Garāk sakot". Funding was also granted for the second phase of developing the Liepāja Hammond Museum, several concert series, new theatre productions, and international creative workshops and participatory art projects.
Largest grants awarded
Several projects received the maximum grant of 4,000 euros, including the "Liepāja ceremonial costume", the theatre production "Mežoņi", continued operation of the hip-hop radio programme, and a diaspora association project connecting Latvian heritage with Brazil. The smallest grants, 2,000 euros each, went to the novel publication project and a conductors' association initiative titled "Saules akmens".
The funded projects will be implemented between October 1, 2026 and March 31, 2027. The range of supported initiatives reflects the municipality's investment across both traditional and contemporary cultural fields, from classical music and literature to hip-hop and audiovisual art.
