- presented by Kleine Zeitung & ORF Steiermark

This Elevate Award has a local focus on the Austrian state of Styria (Steiermark). While sharing the same values and criteria as the International Elevate Award, this award has a clear local/regional focus.

After the public call for nominees (May 11th to June 30th 2015), the winner out of the top five contestants will be chosen by the audiences of Kleine Zeitung and ORF Steiermark in October 2015. There will be an online voting process, held at the website of Kleine Zeitung and on the Elevate Website from October 1st until October 15th.

This award initiative has the support of the governor of the state of Styria, as well as the culture department of the city of Graz.

- presented by Radio FM4

The Elevate Artivism Award is awarded to an Austrian artist or artist group, who or which engages in sociopolitical issues and is actively working for positive and sustainable change. In the spirit of the Elevate Festival (combining contemporary music and political discourse), this award should encourage artists to engage in activism. Important criteria are: the quality of the artistic work itself; the effectiveness of the work; innovation and sustainability.

Bands, artists, groups and initiatives (all art forms) can be nominated in a public call for nominees (May 11th to June 30th 2015). The Elevate team and FM4 will choose five finalists out of all nominations.

This award is presented in cooperation with Radio FM4. The top five contestants will be presented by FM4 and voted on in the public voting phase on FM4's website as well as on this website from October 1-15 2015.

The International Elevate Award is a commendation for people and their projects, who are actively working for social, ecological and/or economical justice and the improvement of the life circumstances of people and mother nature.

Characterized by innovation and an orientation on the environmental and cultural commons of our planet, this positive award should be a recognition of initiatives, which can present an effectful output. Since this award carries "Elevate" in its name, it should only be given to projects, which have not yet received comparable other international recognitions or decorations.

The International Elevate Award should celebrate and combine human creativity and critical thinking - elevate, support and deliver just that extra little bit of attention: To those, who tirelessly work in the field of commons-oriented activism for the common good; To set an example that it is well worth to get engaged.

The international Jury Community will vote on the winning project in an online voting session in September.

>> check out the finalists 2015

The winning project is invited to receive the award at the awards ceremony on October 25th 2015 in Graz.

In 2012 REFDAF from Senegal won. In 2013 the jury voted for the Refugee Protest Camp Vienna. In 2014 the Canadian project Cryptocat won the International Elevate Award.

Winner 2015:
The White Helmets