Premju għall-Arti is Arts Council Malta’s celebration of the main achievements of Malta’s cultural and creative industries. As highlighted in the National Cultural Policy 2021 this is a high-profile national event awarding excellence in the field of culture and the arts, while encouraging more professionalism and distinction within the sector. This aligns with ACM’s first guiding principle as stipulated in its Strategy2025 which is to champion the advancement of the status of the artists, and cultural and creative practitioners.

Artistic expression is to be recognised, celebrated, and cherished as a core value of contemporary cultural life, reflected in a commitment towards the principles of cultural rights. The award sheds light on some of the key protagonists that have demonstrated the power of artistic expression to present new perspectives and ideas in an ever-changing social and cultural context.

Excellence in the arts is characterised by the creation of the most daring, original, innovative, and impeccably executed works. This encompasses a broad spectrum of artistic expressions, from traditional to contemporary, wide-reaching to niche, from low-budget to high-budget. Excellence lies in its impact on both the creative practitioners and audiences, marked by depth, vision, and innovation through equitable and inclusive processes. It involves integrity, resonance, originality, proficiency, ambition, imagination, and long-term thinking. Excellence embraces fair practices within the processes that bring to fruition artistic projects, which include respecting health and safety regulations, non-discrimination, equal access and opportunities, accountability, decent working conditions and adherence to intellectual property regulation. This award aspires to recognise the highest artistic standards achieved through fair practices, while embracing the ongoing potential of societal and technological changes that impacts artistic processes and outcomes.

The main aim is, therefore, to recognise and reward excellent, innovative, and outstanding work premiered throughout the seasons of the past two years and/or showed significant progress in the approach towards production.

As from 2023, il-Premju għall-Arti will take place on a biennial basis. This edition will be happening in 2025, with the next one happening in 2027. The eligibility period is between 1st September 2023 to 31st August 2025.