The best Brabant: The Berregse Room wins the Soft G prize 2022

Dialect society De Berregse Kamer has won the Soft G Prize 2022. Foreman Cees van Broekhoven, who has chaired the society for many years, receives a ‘special mention’ from the jury. There were fifty entries for the Erfgoed Brabant competition, the jury previously reduced the shortlist to seven entries.

The Soft G prize is a prize for ‘special achievements in the field of Brabant’ in the broadest sense of the word. From collecting dialect words in your own place to creating Brabant theater performances, poetry, prose or just making it sound Brabant on social media.

The Berregse Kamer and Van Broekhoven had to compete against, among others, the Brabant language expert Wim Daniëls, Patrick Marcelissen of the band WC Experience and the Brabant troubadour Noud Bongers.

jury report
According to the jury, the Berregse Kamer and Van Broekhoven won the prize ‘because of the long-term, broad, active, creative and innovative way in which attention is paid to the dialect.’ There were nice words for the foreman: “Cees is an enthusiastic propagator of the dialect in various capacities.”

And for the society as a whole: “The Berregse Kamer is an example of a sustainably active dialect society that shows a nice mix of traditional activities, such as organizing a dictation in the dialect and publishing a dictionary, and innovative projects, in which the bridge that is built to youth,” said the jury.

It is the fifth time that the prize has been awarded. The last time was in 2020. Then singer and narrator Cor Swanenberg won.

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