GALWAY 2020 European Capital of Culture has been nominated for the EU Commission's Melina Mercouri Prize - worth a total of €1.5 million - by the independent European Capital of Culture Monitoring and Advisory panel.
Galway 2020 European Capital of Culture was recommended for the prize - named after the Greek singer, actor, and politician - by the advisory panel, when it was in Galway on Tuesday for the third and final monitoring meeting, held in the Marine Institute in Oranmore.
Rijeka in Croatia, which shares the European Capital of Culture 2020 designation with Galway, also received the recommendation from the panel. Representatives from the Rijeka capital of culture team were in Galway for the announcement.
"We are very grateful that the panel has recommended the awarding of the Melina Mercouri prize to Galway 2020," said Galway 2020 CEO Patricia Philbin. "We are now just four months from the opening ceremony of Galway 2020 and there is a real sense of momentum building. Today is another incredibly important milestone on our journey.”
Galway 2020 chair, Arthur Lappin, said: "We wish to thank the panel for this recommendation, for their guidance and support and we look forward to delivering a tremendous year for Galway, Ireland and Europe.”
