Apply

Application for BSR Cultural Pearls title 2026 is OPEN!

Applications must be submitted in English using the online form.

You can familiarize yourself with the application by opening or downloading the application form Preview file.

For procedural details and full selection timeline please consult the Guide for Applicants.

The deadline for application submission is 4 April 2025, 23:59 CET.
APPLY HERE

*For questions please contact Ms Egija Salnikova via egija.salnikova@arsbaltica.net

RESOURCE

To better prepare yourself we suggest consulting Culture for Resilience Guidebook (available in English, German and Latvian) giving answers to the following questions:

  • What is social resilience?
  • How does culture build social resilience?
  • Why participation matters? Where do I start? – The Culture and Resilience Action Plan
  • It also provides examples and inspiration.

Conditions of Entry*

  • Towns, and cities from the Interreg Baltic Sea Region Programme area, including Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany (the States (Länder) of Berlin, Brandenburg, Bremen, Hamburg, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Schleswig-Holstein and Niedersachsen (only NUTS II area Lüneburg region)), Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and Sweden.
  • Small, mid-sized and less central towns and cities are especially welcomed.
  • A single municipality or a team of municipalities can participate, but in this case a lead partner needs to be indicated.
  • The capital cities Stockholm, Helsinki, Tallinn, Riga, Vilnius, Warsaw, Berlin and Copenhagen are non-eligible.

Application procedure

  • Application questionnaire must be submitted using online form.
  • Incomplete entries will not be considered.
  • Applications must be submitted in English.
  • Receipt of an application will be acknowledged by an automatic system reply.

The Selection Process

BSR Cultural Pearl selection has two stages.

  • Pre-selection
  • Eligibility criteria, motivation and general approach of each candidate is evaluated by the Selection Committee consisting of BSR Cultural Pearls project partner representatives. All applications are assessed individually and based on the summary of scores number of eligible candidates are accepted to enter the final selection phase.
  • Final selection
  • The object of the final selection is Culture and Resilience action plan developed by the candidate and evaluated by an international Jury. Each plan is assessed individually and the final selection is based on the summary of the scores given by the Jury.
  • Three candidates with the highest scores but not more than one per country are awarded the title.
  • In case of tight scores or very convincing action plan, Jury can award one more candidate. In this case the rule of the country does not apply.

Overarching criteria

MOTIVATION

Willingness to strengthen culture-driven social resilience in your town or city and the role of BSR Cultural Pearls program in helping you doing that.

AWARENESS

Understanding local community needs, challenges and strengths.

ABILITY TO LEARN

Cros-sectoral team with the strong will and ability to learn and transfer the knowledge into the actions.

ENGAGEMENT

Readiness to cooperate with local NGO’s, Culture and Creative Sector actors.

CAPACITY TO DELIVER

Capacity of human and financial resources to participate in the programme, develop and implement the culture driven social resilience action plan.

BSR PERSPECTIVE

Openness for cross-border cooperations and knowledge exchange within Baltic Sea Region.

Pre-Selection criteria

Clear and compelling motivation to become a BSR Cultural Pearl.

Innovative and holistic general approach to the programme and activities it plans to carry out as a BSR Cultural Pearl.  

Potential to generate real and sustainable impact in strengthening culture-driven resilience.

An open, inclusive, and cross-sectorial engagement of different stakeholders in the application and implementation process.

Final Selection criteria

A well-articulated, clear, and high-quality Culture and Resilience Action Plan.

Cultural tools used to co-create the applicant’s Culture and Resilience Action Plan with citizens and other stakeholders, and to achieve the goals identified are innovative, creative.

The applicant applies a truly participatory approach and envisages a broad engagement of different stakeholders both inside the administration (i.e. across departments) and outside throughout the process.

Good balance between being ambitious yet realistic and achievable.

The applicant’s Culture and Resilience Action Plan will have a long-lasting and meaningful impact on addressing its current challenges.

The applicant has demonstrated its capacity to deliver the planned projects and initiatives both in terms of human, physical and financial resources.

Awarding & Publicity

An international awarding ceremony will take place at the official announcement of the selection results in December 2025.

By becoming a “Pearl” you gain national and Baltic Sea Region wide visibility. From the moment of the announcement and during the whole program you are in the spotlight – with the support of the local partners all the working phases are captured in photos, videos, stories are shared as part of a larger communication campaign.

*To be eligible for the BSR Cultural Pearls title the applicant needs to be a local authority (e.g. municipality, district, city or town council or other public institution responsible for public services within a given territory). A municipal department, a public library or other local public institution can apply on behalf of the city or town. We do not require a decision from the political level, such as the mayor or council.
The jury will assess the composition of the team applying, and it is strongly encouraged to ensure active participation from more than one department or institution, as well as civil society participation. In the same spirit, evidence of political support is encouraged but not required. A local authority can apply on behalf of a smaller entity within its territory, i.e. a town located in the municipality or district. The Cultural Pearl title is then awarded to this entity. Non-public institutions such as NGOs or CCS actors can be partners in the application.