Award Policy
Adopted on June 12, 2026
In accordance with its statutes, the foundation’s primary purpose is to award an annual music prize as an honorary grant. It is a prerequisite that the recipient, in an international context, has made a significant contribution at an excellent artistic level within their field. When awarding the prize, “only purely musical qualifications shall be considered, and all questions of nationality, race, religion, political views, or economic status shall be disregarded.”
The Léonie Sonning Music Prize focuses on classical music. However, this should be understood in a broad sense, as music and its boundaries continue to evolve. Furthermore, the board places emphasis on recipients contributing to the continued revitalisation of the rich classical music tradition, and on their artistic work leaving a personal mark on the development of the art form.
The prize cannot be applied for, and extensive research is conducted on an ongoing basis to identify the right recipients.
The current prize amount is 1,000,000 Danish kroner.
Additionally, the foundation awards annual talent prizes in the form of scholarships, currently approximately 10 grants of 100,000 Danish kroner each, in accordance with its statutes. These grants are awarded to young composers, conductors, musicians, or singers from Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden, based solely on musical qualifications. However, if these qualitative requirements do not stand in the way, candidates from Sweden and Denmark shall be given preference.
The talent prizes are primarily awarded to young composers, musicians, conductors, or singers residing in Denmark, as support for artistic development.
The board’s music specialists are responsible for researching and selecting talent prize recipients, while the full board is responsible for approving the purpose for which each scholarship is to be used.
In connection with the selection of talent prize recipients, emphasis is placed on diversity, including geographical distribution and representation of instruments.
If the choice is between several talents at an equal professional level, the board may prioritise candidates based on their stage of education or career.
The scholarships cannot be applied for.
More information
Kristina Sindberg
Senior advisor
kristina@sindbergkommunikation.dk
Mobile 24860184