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BSR Cultural Pearls Call for 2026 has opened | Deadline 4 April 2025

The BSR Cultural Pearls programme is proud to announce the opening of its third call for applications for the BSR Cultural Pearls 2026 title, inviting local authorities to join a programme building resilient communities through culture.

The call provides a unique opportunity to gain international recognition for the work these communities while joining a regional network of existing Pearl-cities dedicated to creating liveable cities and resilient communities.

The Cultural Pearl Title is a sign of recognition for small and medium-sized municipalities in the Baltic Sea Region and an accelerator for developing socially resilient communities by harnessing the power of culture. 

The goal for any city applying for the title is to create and implement an Action Plan leading to better functioning, healthier neighbourhoods where co-creation, cooperation and involvement of different stakeholders creates mutual trust, civic engagement and better understanding between decision-makers and citizens. 

Access to materials, peer-learning and experts during the title year will allow to test new approaches to community cohesion, see first results and gain capacity to continue further. 

“The Cultural Pearls title puts the spotlight on the role of communities for societal resilience. Our aim is to equip our cities with the tools and momentum to make their communities thrive.”
Felix Schartner Giertta, BSR Cultural Pearls project manager (CBSS, lead partner)  

Competition for the title has increased every year since the start of the project in 2023, with 18 cities applying in last year’s call.

“The biggest strength of our approach is the mentorship offered during the application process, meaning each applicant-city gains a well-developed action plan, whether or not they manage to secure the title at the end."
Egija Salnikova, head of the selection process (ARS BALTICA, project partner)

Applications for the Cultural Pearls 2026 title are now open, with submissions accepted until 4 April 2025.  

For more information on the application process and the project, please visit www.culturalpearls.eu:

We look forward to welcoming you to the network!

Contacts: 

Ms Egija Salnikova 
BSR Cultural Pearls Project manager at ARS BALTICA  
egija.salnikova@arsbaltica.net

Press Release, 03/02/2025 

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Image by BSR Cultural Pearls

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