Appeltjes van Oranje 2023
In the 21st edition of the Appeltjes van Oranje, we want to reward successful neighborhood initiatives that bridge differences between local residents and really connect them. Initiatives for and by local residents that encourage contact between neighbors who do not naturally meet, for example because their living environments do not overlap. (NL)
The award for initiatives that matter
The Appeltjes van Oranje is a yearly award recognizing and rewarding three initiatives by organizations that work within our domain, social services, towards an inclusive, engaged society—initiatives that are unique, creative and meaningful and have been running for at least one year. With their beautiful results efforts such as these serve as an inspiration for others.
The award consists of a bronze statuette designed and made by Princess Beatrix and a cash sum of € 25,000. The prize money may be spent freely in line with the winning initiative’s objectives. In principle, every year, Queen Máxima hands out the awards at Paleis Noordeinde, while every five years, the awards are handed out by King Willem-Alexander.
Theme for 2023: Neighborhood Bridge Builders
The theme for 2023 is: Neighborhood Bridge Builders. Connectedness is crucial to an engaged society, one in which the local residents look out for each other and for their neighborhoods. Social ties function as a safety net for all who may need it and provide an important basis for tackling and preventing problems such as loneliness, poverty, and social divides.
Fortunately, there are many initiatives where local residents are working to bring people together and that know how to bridge differences. But this is easier said than done. It can take a lot of encouragement and perseverance to get local residents to take the first step. By bringing different people together, social ties in the neighborhood are strengthened, mutual understanding is boosted, and people feel more at home in their neighborhood. That is why, in 2023, the Oranje Fonds wants to put neighborhood bridge builders in the spotlight!
How to participate?
The registration period for the Appeltjes van Oranje has passed. We will announce who the contenders are in mid-March.
Selection Process
In October of 2023, the three social initiatives that will be handed the coveted Appeltje van Oranje at Noordeinde Palace in The Hague will have gone through the following selection process:
- The Oranje Fonds makes an initial selection based on the registration form and official documents. At this phase of the selection, the focus will be on the criteria as well as on producing a diverse selection of initiatives (in terms of geography, type of organization, target groups and approach). From all submissions received, we will select no more than 40 that are based in the Netherlands and up to 10 based in the Caribbean.
- The initiatives will be voted on by the public over the course of ten days in May and June 2023, and then move on to the national finals on Saturday June 17 where the organizations will present their initiatives to other selected participants and to the jury, of which young people are of course a part (representing youth organizations and initiatives).
- At that point, 10 finalists will be announced: 8 initiatives from the Netherlands and 2from the Caribbean.
- The (board)jury selects the winners.
- The grand winner is selected from among these three.
Winners 2022
The winners of the 20th edition were Triple ThreaT, Young Leaders Community and JongPIT.
