Etxepare Basque Institute to award the internationalization of Basque music at the Musika Bulegoa Awards

The deadline for submission of the Musika Bulegoa Awards was 2 February. The ten award-winning projects will be chosen from among 120 candidates.

Each year, Euskal Herriko Musika Bulegoa recognises the most significant projects of the year in the Basque music scene. The jury, made up of eight industry professionals, has begun the phase of evaluating the work of the Basque creators and bands and will announce their decision 16 May at Lekuona Fabrika in Errenteria.

A total of ten prizes will be awarded (no categories), eight of which will be awarded directly by the jury. Another award will be chosen by the Etxepare Basque Institute, sponsor of the Musika Bulegoa Awards, in recognition of the international dissemination of Basque music.

Musika Bulegoa and the Etxepare Basque Institute joined forces with the Musika Bulegoa Awards in 2017, marking another step in cooperation between two institutions working to expand the reach of Basque music. The Etxepare Basque Institute Award contribute to the dissemination and recognition of quality music from the Basque Country, in line with the aims of both institutions.

The purpose of this award is to recognise the work carried out over the last three years by creators, performers (solo or in groups) or composers to bring Basque music to the international stage. Awards will be considered for projects that are entirely or mainly in Basque as well as projects that do not use the Basque language. All types of musical styles and trends will be taken into account. The Etxepare Basque Institute will create a committee of experts in culture and music to determine the winner.

In past editions, the Etxepare Basque Institute has given awards to the bands Berri Txarrak, Kalakan, Niña Coyote eta Chico Tornado, Korrontzi and Trío Zukan.

Diversity stands out as the main feature of the 120 proposals in this year´s edition

Albums, singles, video clips, live productions, soundtracks, operas, written musical works... All kinds of projects were submitted in the 2023 call for proposals – a true reflection of the diversity of the Basque music scene.

Of the 120 submissions, the majority are pop-rock in style: around 30%. But there are also projects that focus on contemporary classical, folk, jazz or electronic music. In recent years the trend has been toward combining different styles, resulting in some very interesting fusions.