News item | 30-03-2026 | 17:02
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 nominated candidates to win the Innovation Prize. The government prizes will be presented on Sunday, April 19, in Maassilo in Rotterdam 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 people and intersex people in society. The prize consists of a cash prize of €10,000 and a work of art.
The Jos Bink Innovation Prize is a biennial incentive prize for a person or organization that makes an inspiring effort to improve the acceptance and safety of LGBTQ+ people in society. The prize serves as an encouragement 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, regardless of who you love. Unfortunately, not all people take this for granted. I am therefore looking forward to presenting the Jos Brink Prize to those who are strongly committed to LGBTIQ+ equality in their own way. It will be exciting to see whether it will be Splinter Chabot, Fleur Pierets or Pim Lammers!
Nominees Oeuvre Prize
For the Oeuvre Prize the jury has Splinter Chabot nominated, known as a writer, program maker and presenter. Splinter Chabot is committed to the queer community through visibility, candid stories about identity and creating recognition. With his work he offers support to both queer youth and adults. Also in his TV program “Lieve SPLNTR!” queer themes are discussed and he 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 huge impact on the queer community in a very positive way.
Also Fleur Pierrets has been nominated by the jury. After the loss of her partner but also during their time together, Fleur Pierets converted grief, love and inequality into activism with great impact. With her international marriage campaign and public stories, she made it painfully visible how unequal the position of lesbian couples worldwide still is. Her autobiographical book Julian was made into a film and had its world premiere at the prestigious Toronto International Film Festival. As a writer, speaker and activist, Fleur Pierets combines vulnerability with sharpness. The jury finds her an example of a loving activist.
The third nominee is Pim Lammers. He is an author and also very involved in inclusive cultural initiatives. With his books, Pim Lammers is one of the most visible and influential children’s book writers when it comes to LGBTQI+ themes. He is also the initiator of queerboeken.nl: The Dutch platform for LGBTQ+ 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
The jury has nominated Remco Boxelaar, Romy Rock and Junior van Keulen for the Oeuvre Prize. Remco Boxelaar is the founder of Corporate Queer, which bridges the gap between activism and business. The jury likes that he draws attention to prejudices and manages to counter them with his efforts.
In addition Romy Rock nominated. She is the 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 believes it is very important that Queer Gym has created a place where queer people can exercise safely. And where there is no problem with m/f changing rooms for trans people.
The last nominee is Junior from Cologne. As creative director of Club NYX, Junior van Keulen creates space for queer makers, performers and communities. Through carefully curated programs, actively supporting new talent and anchoring queer values in the organization 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 normalizing 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 (program maker and presenter).
The prize is named after Jos Brink (1942-2007), a campaigner for the acceptance and emancipation of LGBTQ+ people, who openly came out about his homosexuality. In 2021, the Oeuvre Prize was awarded to Glenn Helberg, the Innovation Prize went to Naomie Pieter.
