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Here are the winners of the HKU Awards 2023!

  • 21 September 2023
The winners of the HKU Awards 2023 have been announced today during the official opening of the academic year 2023-2024.
Here are the winners of the HKU Awards 2023!
Shahab Albonaser, Nonna Hoogland, Hannah Konings and Berber Struiksma are the creators of the most remarkable graduation works of 2023. They have received their awards in TivoliVredenburg.

The three HKU Awards have gone to Shahab Albonaser, Nonna Hoogland and Hannah Konings for having the most remarkable graduation work. In addition, Utrecht's Councillor of Culture, Eva Oosters, handed out the HKU Prize of Utrecht City to Berber Struiksma to acknowledge the societal revelance of her work. Each of the four winners also receive a sum of 5,000 euros.

See all the nominees of the HKU Awards 2023 on this page: deze pagina.

The jury

The jury – consisting of acclaimed professionals and experts from the arts sector – reviewed all the nominated graduation works during the Exposure graduation expo, keeping in mind the HKU-profile. For their evaluation, they assessed the works on quality, excellence, craftsmanship, innovation, creativity, applicability and interdisciplinarity


Ralph Keuning (art historian)
Femke Rotteveel (jury chair and director of Fotodok)
Xavier Vandamme (director of Old Music)
Eppo van Nispen tot Sevenaer (director of Beeld en Geluid)
Kevin Osepa (photographer and filmmaker)
Kika Sprangers (saxophonist)
Margriet Vollenberg (director Organisation in Design)

From the jury report (translated by HKU):

Shahab Albonaser - Verdwenen Vadersv ('Missing fathers')

"Shahab succeeded in showing the complexity of this father-son relation and its impact on their lives in a powerful way. We were drawn into the story of these characters, compelled to think, and left with a lingering feeling."

Audiovisual Media, HKU Media
Exposure Portfolio

Nonna Hoogland - We Never Change

"Nonna seemed to have effortlesly turned her inspirations into her classical Greek pottery vases, based on Greek mythology and renaissance painting. She mirrors the themes from Greek mythological stories to comparable themes from our current tumes, such as victing shaming. All these vases can go straight into a museum collection, insofar they haven't been bought already by collectors or jury members."

Illustration, HKU Media
Exposure Portfolio

Hannah Konings - De haan roept en ze besluiten dat het goed is ('the crow is calling, and they decide that it was good')

"Calm yet still immersive, Hannah took us on a tour along her interests, personal archetypes and memories of her family, showing their rituals and passions, such as baking bread. Inspired by these personal memories, Hannah reflects on the power that materials have for evoking emotions. The space stirred a feeling of nostalgia; the sculptures seemed begging to be touched. This work gripped us and refused to let us go."

Fine Art, HKU Beeldende Kunst
Exposure Portfolio

Berber Struiksma - The fool who planted the baked potatoes - HKU Prijs Gemeente Utrecht 2023

“In this colourful installation, the artist created a remarkable and authentic fairy tale world with the use of recycled materials, video projection, a critical touch, and a dose of humour. This artist is determined to offer an alternative to all the conventions that are rife in fashion. Any time, the work can be used and re-used in a different way, and thus it remains in permanent motion.”


Fashion Design, HKU Design
Exposure Portfolio

About the HKU Awards and HKU Prize of Utrecht City.

Each year, HKU hands out three prizes to students who have graduated that academic year at one of the bachelor or master programmes of HKU University of the Arts. Each of these three HKU Awards are linked to a financial gift of 5,000 euros.

Among the nominees, the jury also chooses one winner for the HKU Utrecht City Prize. This award, also worth 5,000 euros, emphasises the importance of art and culture for the city of Utrecht and its inhabitants, and stimulates the cultural diversity and creative development of the city, For this prize, the jury evaluates the works mainly on its societal impact.