Selected from greater than 100,000 entries, a Nigeria-based arts organisation was honoured within the Innovation class by the Austrian Federal Ministry for European and International Affairs.
Street Project Foundation (SPF), a Nigeria-based, arts-led organisation working with younger individuals and communities, has received the Intercultural Achievement Award (IAA) 2026 for its venture ARTvocacy.
The IAA honours revolutionary civil society initiatives that strengthen intercultural and interreligious dialogue, in Austria and all over the world.
Launched in 2014, it was offered for the thirteenth time in 2026 and recognises initiatives throughout classes together with innovation, expertise, media, the surroundings and interreligious dialogue.
The 2026 ceremony was hosted by Federal Minister Beate Meinl-Reisinger on the Alois Mock Hall of the Federal Ministry for European and International Affairs in Vienna, Austria.
The consequence locations a Nigerian, community-rooted initiative among the many most recognised civil society initiatives on the earth. SPF started in 2008 with an thought and has since constructed ARTvocacy with younger individuals, households, companions and communities throughout seven cities in Nigeria.
In notifying SPF of its choice, the Ministry’s Task Force “Dialogue of Cultures and Religions” mentioned the venture had been evaluated intimately by the Task Force and the impartial jury, who extremely counseled SPF’s civic engagement and its dedication to intercultural dialogue.
Commenting, Founder/Lead Visionary, SPF, Rita Ezenwa-Okoro mentioned:”We began in 2008 with creativeness and folks keen to point out up. We had no massive funding and no established community. To be chosen from greater than 100,000 entries tells us that work grown in Nigeria, with younger individuals at its coronary heart, has one thing actual to supply the world. This award belongs to each younger artistic, associate and group who constructed ARTvocacy with us.”
Also commenting, SPF Chief Operating Officer, Eduvielawhe Olutimayin, mentioned:
“Behind this recognition is a team that has shown up consistently, year after year, often with very little. This award validates the way we work: trust first, community first, and creativity as a serious tool for change. It gives us a stronger platform to grow the work and reach more young people.”
Consultant and Programmes Director, Ezenwa Okoro, mentioned: “Receiving this award in Vienna on behalf of the team was a profound honour. Every young person who has stood on a stage, written a poem or joined a workshop with us is part of this moment. It shows that creativity, even with limited resources, can build understanding across cultures.”
