Nominees Jos Brink Prize 2026

The nominees for the Jos Brink Oeuvre Prize and the Jos Brink Innovation Prize have been announced. An independent jury led by Duncan Lawrence has selected Splinter Chabot, Pim Lammers and Fleur Pierets for the Oeuvre Prize. Remco Boxelaar, Romy Rock and Junior van Keulen are the nominees to win the Innovation Prize. The government awards will be presented on Sunday 19 April in Rotterdam's Maassilo by Judith Tielen, State Secretary for Education and Emancipation.

The Jos Brink Prize is an initiative of the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science. The Jos Brink Oeuvre Prize is awarded every two years to a person, group or institution that has made a fundamental contribution to improving the position of lesbian women, gay men, bisexual men and women, transgender persons and intersex persons in society. The award consists of a cash prize of €10,000 and a work of art.

The Jos Bink Innovation Award is a biennial incentive prize for an individual or organisation, which has made an inspiring effort to improve the acceptance and safety of lhbtiq+persons in society. The prize serves to encourage them to continue their exemplary role. The prize consists of a cash prize of €1,000.

State Secretary Judith Tielen:
“Everyone is equal in our country, no matter who you love. Unfortunately, not all people experience this as self-evident. I therefore look forward to awarding the Jos Brink Prize to the person who vigorously and in their own way promotes equality for lhbtiq+. Exciting whether it will be Splinter Chabot, Fleur Pierets or Pim Lammers!”

Oeuvre Prize nominees

For the Oeuvre Prize, the jury awarded Splinter Chabot nominated, known as a writer, programme maker and presenter. Splinter Chabot is committed to the queer community through visibility, candid stories of identity and creating recognition. Through his work, he offers support to both queer youth and adults. His TV programme “Dear SPLNTR!” also addresses queer themes and discusses questions about coming out of the closet, arguments with parents and anti-gay violence. As young as he is, he has already made a lot of impact for the queer community in a very positive way.

Also Fleur Pierets has been nominated by the jury. After the loss of her partner but also while they were together, Fleur Pierets turned grief, love and inequality into activism with great impact. With her international marriage campaign and public stories, she made painfully visible how unequal the position of lesbian couples still is worldwide. Her autobiographical book Julian was filmed and had its world premiere at the prestigious Toronto International Film Festival. As a writer, speaker and activist, Fleur Pieret combines vulnerability with sharpness. The jury considers her an example of a loving activist.

The third nominee is Pim Lammers. He is an author and also very involved in inclusive culture initiatives. With his books, Pim Lammers is one of the most visible and influential children's book authors when it comes to lhbtqi+ themes. He is also the initiator of queerbooks.nl: the Dutch platform for lhbtq+ literature: a place where young readers and their teachers can find and explore diversity. The jury is very curious to see what else he will do. Because it has been a tough start.

Innovation Award nominees

For the Oeuvre Prize, the jury nominated Remco Boxelaar, Romy Rock and Junior van Keulen. Remco Boxelaar is the founder of Corporate Queer, which bridges activism and business. The jury likes the way he raises awareness of prejudice and manages to counter it with his efforts.

In addition Romy Rock nominated. She is founder of Queer gym, a gym for queer and trans people where no concessions are made to safety or inclusion. With Queer gym, Romy Rockx makes the difference for many people between adapting to survive or being allowed to be yourself. The jury finds it very important that with Queer Gym, a place has been created where queer people can play sports safely. And where there is no problem with m/f changing rooms for trans people.

The latest nominee is Junior van Keulen. As creative director of Club NYX, Junior van Keulen creates space for queer makers, performers and communities. Through carefully curated programmes, actively supporting new talent and embedding queer values within the organisation itself, Junior contributes to a nightlife that is not only representative, but also sustainable and meaningful. This commitment goes beyond programming and focuses on community-building, emancipation and normalising diverse queer identities.

Jury

The jury for the Jos Brink Prize 2026 consists of chairman Duncan Laurence (singer songwriter), and jury members Lot Mulder (influencer @dehaarclipvanmarieclaire) and Mandy Woelkens (programme maker and presenter).

The award is named after Jos Brink (1942-2007), a champion of the acceptance and emancipation of lhbtiq+ persons, who openly came out about his homosexuality. In 2021, the Oeuvre Prize was awarded to Glenn Helberg, while the Innovation Prize went to Naomie Pieter.