​The Eyrarrósin Award

We're proud sponsors of the Eyrarrósin award, which celebrates the spirit of Iceland's creativity and innovation in all corners of the country.

The Eyrarrósin award is given to an outstanding cultural project in the rural areas of Iceland and has been running since 2005, inspired by Reykavík's time as a European City of Culture in 2000.

The aim of Eyrarrósin is to encourage cultural diversity, innovation, and development in arts and culture, outside of Iceland's capital. The award is a collaboration between Reykjavík Arts Festival, the Icelandic Regional Development Institute, and Icelandair.

Eyrarrósin is now awarded every other year, with winners invited to participate in the biennial Reykjavík Arts Festival, which is celebrated over two weeks in early June in even-numbered years.

Eyrarrósin 2025

The recipient of the Eyrarrósin 2025 award was the Fish Factory in Stöðvarfjörður in East Iceland. The Fish Factory is a creative center established in 2011 within a large, repurposed former fish factory.

When the freezer plant – once Stöðvarfjörður’s largest employer – shut down at the turn of the 20th century, the future of the building was uncertain. In response, a dedicated group of volunteers came together and transformed the abandoned facility into a vibrant cultural and community hub.

Today, the creative center stands at the heart of the community, fostering unity in a small and delicate rural area. Through sustainable activities, it has played a vital role in strengthening the local fabric and adding lasting value to the area.

Photo: The Fish Factory creative center in Stöðvarfjörður.

Eyrarrósin 2023

The Eyrarrósin 2023 award was given to the cultural activities at Alþýðuhúsið (the Public House) in Siglufjörður, North Iceland, led by artist Aðalheiður S Eysteinsdóttir. Aðalheiður purchased the building in 2011 with the goal of creating a workspace, home, and a playground of sorts for the arts.

In the decade or so that the building has been in operation, around 200 cultural events have taken place there. The goal of the activities is to bring culture into people's everyday lives, giving old and young the opportunity to experience the arts within their community.

Photo: Alþýðuhúsið's owner, artist Aðalheiður S Eysteinsdóttir (left), with daughter Brák Jónsdóttir (center), and Eyrarrósin 2023's patron Eliza Reid (right). Photo credit: Hjalti Árnason.

Eyrarrósin 2021

Eyrarrósin 2021 was awarded to Handbendi, a professional puppetry and theater production company based in Hvammstangi in Northwest Iceland. Greta Clough, pictured below, is the artistic director and creative producer of Handbendi, which tours nationally and internationally with puppetry and theater productions for all ages. The company is also behind the HIP Festival – the Hvammstangi International Puppet Festival, held every two years.

Past winners

Applicants for the Eyrarrósin award can be an institution, a temporary project, a museum, or a cultural festival, and they must be in the rural areas of Iceland. 

Selecting the Eyrarrósin awardee is primarily based upon the impact the project has made so far on art and culture in its local community, in addition to the project's operational integrity and a clear vision for the future.

Check out the full list of past winners, and consider adding them to your Iceland itinerary or holiday calendar for a winning taste of what makes regional Iceland buzz with creativity. We have a handy map locator below.

2020: Skjaldborg, the Icelandic documentary film festival staged in Patreksfjörður in the Westfjords, in a restored cinema by the same name.

2019: List í ljósi, a winter festival that celebrates art and light in Seyðisfjörður, East Iceland.

2018: Fresh Winds, a month-long art biennale held in winter in Suðurnesjabær on the Reykjanes peninsula.

2017: Eistnaflug, a four-day summer music festival heavy on metal, hardcore, punk, and rock, held in Neskaupstaður in East Iceland.

2016: Verksmiðjan á Hjalteyri, an exhibition space in an old herring factory north of Akureyri in North Iceland.

2015: The Freezer, a combined hostel and cultural center in Rif on the Snæfellsnes peninsula.