Prince Claus Awards 2012

Prince Constantijn presenting the award 

Prince Claus Fonds Awards were presented today (on the social media bespoke date of 12.12.12) at Citizens' Hall of the Royal Palace Amsterdam. I found my self surrounded among 450 very distinguished guests.
Her Majesty Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands along with Their Royal Highnesses Prince Willem-Alexander of Oranje and Princess Maxima of the Netherlands, Prince Constantijn and Princess Laurentien, and Princess Mabel attended the 2012 Prince Claus Awards.
The recipient of the 2012 Prince Claus Awards. went to the Argentine non-profit publishing house, Eloísa Cartonera. The company produces:
“… handmade books made of recycled materials. The materials are collected by Cartoneros, or “cardboard people” who are unemployed and survived Argentina’s political and economic collapse in 2001. Drawn to Eloísa Cartonera’s social solidarity, emerging and established Latin American writers donated their short stories, novels and other forms of literature to the company. The collective, small-scale method produces books that are cheaper than conventional paperbacks.”

http://www.eloisacartonera.com.ar/

At the ceremony all 2012 Prince Claus Laureates were presented through a short video and got to see some of them on stage such as Boniface Mwangi, an award-winning Kenyan photojournalist and graffiti artist.
All of them are very inspiring in what they do; making art that breaks through boundaries and understating the Prins Claus Fonds moto 'Culture as a basic need'.

It felt special to be one of the guests.

http://www.princeclausfund.org/

 Eloísa Cartonera gift found in goodiebag