News item | 03-11-2025 | 6:15 PM
The feminist movement Dolle Mina is the winner of the Joke Smit Oeuvre Prize 2025 and online feminist activist Nienke ‘s Gravemade is the winner of the Joke Smit Encouragement Prize 2025. The Joke Smit Prize is a biennial state prize for a person or organization that is committed to gender equality. State Secretary Koen Becking of Education, Culture and Science and responsible for emancipation presented the prizes in the Stadsgehoorzaal in Leiden.
State Secretary Koen Becking: “Dolle Mina is still relevant in standing up for the position of women. Unfortunately, equal rights for women are still not self-evident. It is admirable how Dolle Mina still manages to draw attention to, among other things, the safety of women with striking actions. Nienke ‘s Gravemade is the rightful winner of the encouragement prize because of her humorous videos with a feminist undertone. After the murder of 17-year-old Lisa, she knew with her poem #rechtopdenacht movingly focuses on women’s right to safety.”
The jury about Dolle Mina
“The Dolle Mina’s are very current right now. They know how to reach an audience of all ages. The Dolle Mina’s, founded in 1969 to share dissatisfaction about the position of women, show that women’s rights are still under pressure. The impact and relevance of Dolle Mina is really enormous and valuable and that is why they deserve the Joke Smit Prize Oeuvre Prize,” said the jury.
On Saturday, August 30, 2025, Dolle Mina, cycling in fifteen cities, drew attention to the safety of women. The Dolle Mina slogans: ‘Insecurity of women is not a women’s problem, but a social problem,’ and ‘Together we reclaim what has always been ours, the night, the street, the future’ bring current themes to attention.
The jury about Nienke’s Gravemade
“As an actress, writer and online feminist activist, Nienke ‘s Gravemade brings attention to toxic masculinity with humorous videos on Instagram. ‘Taking the Manosphere seriously and combating it with humor. That works. She thinks. She hopes.’ It is very special that she is aware of the impact she has and speaks out on important themes about feminism. She does this clearly and often with humor,” said the jury.
The jury of the Joke Smit Prize is impressed by the way in which and in which Nienke ‘s Gravemade is committed. With her moving poem #rightopdenacht she made a beautiful and clear statement that was shared en masse. The jury wants to encourage Nienke ‘s Gravemade to continue her fantastic commitment to feminism.
Joke Smit Prize
The winner of the oeuvre prize receives an art object and €10,000. The winner of the incentive prize receives €1,000. The jury of the Joke Smit Prize consists of Janneke Wittekoek (cardiologist women’s heart), Belle Barbé (sexual education educator) and Iven Cudogham (presenter, author). The prize is named after the feminist Joke Smit (1933–1981), who played a leading role in women’s emancipation in the Netherlands.