Apply
Application for BSR Cultural Pearls title 2025 is open!
Download and read the Call for applications for detailed information.
Applications to be submitted until 24 May 2024, 23:59cet.
To get familiar wit the application form questions, open the pre-view file HERE.
Please not that eligible applications must be submitted ONLY using the online form.
To find answers on questions like What is social resilience? How does culture build social resilience? Why participation matters? Where do I start? you can check out our BSR Cultural Pearls Guidebook. It serves as an introduction for local and regional authorities who want to strengthen and empower their communities, and also provides examples and inspiration.
Conditions of Entry
Application procedure
The Selection Process
BSR Cultural Pearl selection has two stages.
Overarching criteria
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.
Understanding local community needs, challenges and strengths.
Cros-sectoral team with the strong will and ability to learn and transfer the knowledge into the actions.
Readiness to cooperate with local NGO’s, Culture and Creative Sector actors.
Capacity of human and financial resources to participate in the programme, develop and implement the culture driven social resilience action plan.
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.
Good acknowledgement about CCS partners they could work with during the project and there is a notion of sufficient capacity to implement the planned actions.
Final Selection criteria
The applicant’s Culture and Resilience Action Plan will have a long-lasting and meaningful impact on addressing its current challenges.
The applicant’s Culture and Resilience Action Plan is well embedded in its core strategies and development plans.
A well-articulated, clear, and high-quality Culture and Resilience Action Plan.
Good balance between being ambitious yet realistic and achievable.
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.
The applicant has demonstrated its capacity to deliver the planned projects and initiatives both in terms of human, physical and financial resources.
Awarding ceremony & Publicity
BSR Cultural Pearls title awarding ceremonies will be organized in every Pearl ‘s city to create a momentum for local communities, uniting people and building a common understanding of how important it is to be strong all together and ready for the unknown challenges that might come. The local ceremony can be organized in conjunction with an existing event, such as an annual city festival, or as a stand-alone event. In addition to that, an international hybrid ceremony will take place at the end of the title year, celebrating the achievements of the Pearls during their title year, and announcing the forthcoming Pearls.
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.