The EBBA Awards were launched by the European Commission5 and are a European Union award.6 Since 2009, the awards are organised by Eurosonic Noorderslag and the award is presented at the Eurosonic Noorderslag festival.7
The artists or groups nominated for the European Border Breakers Awards are selected on the basis of the following criteria:
Since 2010, an online vote takes place to choose which EBBA Award winner will receive the Public Choice Award, on top of the "regular" award.12 The first winner was Belgian singer-songwriter Milow.13 The German rock & roll band The Baseballs won in 2011.14 Selah Sue from Belgium won the prize in 2012.15
Since 2009 the award ceremony takes place every year in January, during the Eurosonic Noorderslag festival, in the Dutch city of Groningen, presented by BBC host and musician Jools Holland.16 EBBA Award winners perform live during the show, as well as during the festival itself. Winners from previous years are invited to perform as special guests. The ceremony is recorded by the public broadcaster NOS/NTR and broadcast through NPO 3.17 The show is annually broadcast on several European television channels.
The EBBA Awards were initiated by the European Commission in 2004.18 With the awards, the European Commission aims to stimulate the cross-border circulation of popular music repertoire and to highlight Europe's great musical diversity. The European Border Breakers Awards are supported through the Culture Programme of the European Union, which seeks to promote cross-border mobility of artists and culture professionals; to encourage the transnational circulation of cultural and artistic output; and to foster intercultural dialogue.19
Public Choice Award: Milow
Public Choice Award: The Baseballs
Public Choice Award: Selah Sue
Winner Public Choice Award: The Common Linnets20
Best festival act award (awarded for the first time at this edition): Jungle21
Public Choice Award: Carnival Youth22
Public Choice Award: Dua Lipa
Public Choice Award: Kristian Kostov
Public Choice Award: Naaz (Netherlands)26
Public Choice Award: Alyona Alyona (Ukraine)27
The list of 2022 winners:28
The list of 2023 winners:29
The list of 2024 winners:30
The list of 2025 winners:31
"Winners of the 2011 European Border Breakers Awards" Archived 7 December 2010 at the Wayback Machine, Subba-cultcha.com. Retrieved 19 September 2011 http://www.subba-cultcha.com/news/article.php?contentID=22143 ↩
Amter, Charlie (18 January 2020). "Italy's Meduza, Dutch singer Naaz Among Winners at Music Moves Europe Talent Awards". https://variety.com/2020/music/news/music-moves-europe-talent-awards-winners-meduza-naaz-1203471776/ ↩
"home – Music Moves Europe Awards". 18 June 2019. https://mmeawards.eu/ ↩
Tara (23 November 2021). "The Music Moves Europe Awards 2022 nominees revealed". Helsinki Times. Retrieved 14 January 2024. https://www.helsinkitimes.fi/culture/20424-the-music-moves-europe-awards-2022-nominees-revealed.html ↩
"European Border Breakers Awards – European Commission". ec.europa.eu. Retrieved 18 January 2016. http://ec.europa.eu/culture/our-programmes-and-actions/prizes/european-border-breakers-awards_en.htm ↩
, Talktoeu.ie. Retrieved 19 September 2011 ↩
"Europe's new music talents receive the 2016 European Border Breakers Awards – European Commission". ec.europa.eu. Retrieved 18 January 2016. http://ec.europa.eu/programmes/creative-europe/news/2016/0113-ebba-new-talent_en.htm ↩
"EBBA Awards" Archived 23 September 2011 at the Wayback Machine, Eurosonic-noorderslag.nl. Retrieved 19 September 2011 http://www.eurosonic-noorderslag.nl/en/awards/ebba-awards/ ↩
"European Talent Exchange Program", Etep.nl. Retrieved 19 September 2011 http://www.etep.nl/ ↩
"Selection criteria" Archived 7 November 2011 at the Wayback Machine, Europeanborderbreakersawards.eu. Retrieved 19 September 2011 http://www.europeanborderbreakersawards.eu/content/selection-criteria ↩
"European Union Award for Contemporary Music", Ec.europa.eu. Retrieved 19 September 2011 http://ec.europa.eu/culture/our-programmes-and-actions/prizes/european-border-breakers-awards_en.htm ↩
"Milow Wins First Public Choice At EBBA!", Encore.celebrityaccess.com. Retrieved 19 September 2011 http://encore.celebrityaccess.com/?encoreId=230&articleId=33702 ↩
"EBBA Awards: The Baseballs win Public Choice Award"[dead link], Eurosonic-noorderslag.nl. 12 January 2011 http://www.eurosonic-noorderslag.nl/en/press/headlines/ebba-awards-the-baseballs-winnen-public-choice-award/ ↩
"Selah Sue the peoples choice" Archived 12 May 2013 at the Wayback Machine, vivoscene.com. 15 January 2012 http://vivoscene.com/headlines/selah-sue-the-peoples-choice/ ↩
(in Dutch)"Programma", Nps.nl. 8 January 2011 https://archive.today/20120525233551/http://www.nps.nl/page/programma/3983/popmuziek/nieuws/detail/982/eurosonicnoorderslag-bij-de-ntr-op-tv-en-radio- ↩
"Article – EBBA, European Border Breakers Awards, the awards for best European new music". europeanborderbreakersawards.eu. Archived from the original on 19 January 2016. Retrieved 18 January 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160119101753/http://www.europeanborderbreakersawards.eu/en/news/article/the-common-linnets-win-public-choice-award/ ↩
"Article – EBBA, European Border Breakers Awards, the awards for best European new music". europeanborderbreakersawards.eu. Archived from the original on 18 January 2016. Retrieved 18 January 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160118201515/http://www.europeanborderbreakersawards.eu/en/news/article/carnival-youth-wins-ebba-public-choice-award/ ↩
https://www.europeanborderbreakersawards.eu/en/archive-year/ebba-awards-2017/ Archived 10 November 2017 at the Wayback Machine The winners of European Border Breakers Awards 2017 https://www.europeanborderbreakersawards.eu/en/archive-year/ebba-awards-2017/ ↩
https://www.europeanborderbreakersawards.eu/en/ Archived 3 March 2017 at the Wayback Machine Winners of European Border Breakers Awards 2018 https://www.europeanborderbreakersawards.eu/en/ ↩
"Music Moves Europe Talent Awards 2019: 12 winners selected | Culture and Creativity". Retrieved 23 June 2022. https://culture.ec.europa.eu/node/535 ↩
"Music Moves Europe Talent Awards 2020 winners announced". 18 January 2020. Retrieved 23 June 2022. https://esns.nl/music-moves-europe-talent-awards-2020-winners-announced/ ↩
"These are the 2021 winners of the Music Moves Europe Talent Awards | Culture and Creativity". Retrieved 23 June 2022. https://culture.ec.europa.eu/node/603 ↩
"These are the winners of the Music Moves Europe Awards 2022". European Commission. Retrieved 17 March 2022. https://culture.ec.europa.eu/news/these-are-the-winners-of-the-music-moves-europe-awards-2022 ↩
"Music Moves Europe Awards 2023: here are the winners | Culture and Creativity". Retrieved 5 January 2024. https://culture.ec.europa.eu/node/2916 ↩
"Music Moves Europe Awards 2024: 20 years of celebrating new talents | Culture and Creativity". Retrieved 25 April 2024. https://culture.ec.europa.eu/node/3282 ↩
"These are the 2025 winners!". Music Moves Europe Awards. Retrieved 4 February 2025. https://mmeawards.eu/en/news/these-are-the-2025-winners/ ↩