Geneva’s iconic cave12 wins the 2026 Leenaards Cultural Prize

Geneva’s cave12, a concert venue devoted to experimental and contemporary sound, has won the 2026 Leenaards Cultural Prize, worth 30,000 Swiss francs.

Led by Marion Innocenzi and Fernando Sixto, the venue hosts more than 100 concerts a year. Its program focuses on experimental approaches to sound and contemporary musical creation.

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The jury praises cave12’s unwavering determination, which for nearly four decades has shared contemporary sound experiments with its audience.

The Leenaards Foundation said the jury praised cave12 for its “unwavering determination” and for sharing contemporary sound experiments with audiences for nearly four decades. The jury said the association had created a space fully dedicated to experimental practices and had gradually built an institution recognized far beyond Geneva’s local scene.

The jury also described the project as deeply human, saying it “places listening at the heart of a shared experience of exchange” and offers a new way of relating to the world. The foundation said eight grants of 50,000 Swiss francs would also be awarded to emerging artists.

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A deeply human project that places listening at the heart of a shared experience of exchange, offering a new way of relating to the world.