Romani Gili Contest 2026 Winners
The European Roma Institute for Arts and Culture (ERIAC) is pleased to announce the winners of the Romani Gili Contest 2026, a social media-based initiative dedicated to celebrating, preserving, and promoting Roma musical heritage. The Romani Gili Contest attracted an inspiring range of voices, interpretations, and musical expressions, reflecting the richness and vitality of Roma song traditions across generations and geographies. ERIAC warmly congratulates all winners and Jury Special Mention recipients.
Romani Gili Contest 2026 Winners
Following a final evaluation process combining 50% jury vote and 50% public vote, the Romani Gili Contest 2026 awards have been granted to:
1st Place (€2,000) – Zlata Ristic & Elma Dalipi, Sose
2nd Place (€1,000) – Ari Kali (Ariane Bajard Behr), Orphée
3rd Place (€500) – Nina Brasseur, Sune
Jury Special Mentions
In addition to the three main prizes, the jury also awarded Special Mentions to performances that stood out for their artistic merit, interpretation, and contribution to Roma musical heritage:
Creativity & Interpretation (€250) – Nicoleta Ghiță & Laura-Izabella Rafael, Kali Vi Zurali
Authenticity & Heritage (€250) – Jan Hron, Romale / Soske man miri daj nakamel
New Talent & Artistic Quality (€250) – Julia Konik, Tuke Dzivipen ihin
New Talent & Artistic Quality (€250) – Maya Nicole Cruceru
About the Romani Gili Contest
The Romani Gili Contest is a social media-based initiative dedicated to celebrating, preserving, and promoting Roma musical heritage. In Romani, the word gili means song — a powerful form of expression that carries memory, emotion, and identity across generations.
Roma songs have long functioned as living archives of history, storytelling, and resilience, transmitted through oral tradition and often beyond written records. Through this contest, participants are invited to share their interpretations of Roma songs, contributing to a growing digital archive of Roma musical expression and creativity.
By creating a space where traditional repertoires, contemporary voices, and personal interpretations can meet, the Romani Gili Contest seeks not only to honour Roma musical heritage, but also to support its visibility in today’s digital cultural space.
Jury and Evaluation Process
The final results of the Romani Gili Contest 2026 were determined through a balanced evaluation process that combined expert assessment and public participation:
50% Jury Vote
50% Public Vote
The 2026 Romani Gili Contest Final Jury brought together distinguished figures from the fields of music, performance, academia, and cultural leadership:
Zejna Murkić – singer and songwriter
Riah Knight – interdisciplinary artist working across theatre, music, writing, and dramaturgy
Diego Amador – musician and composer
Santino Spinelli – musician and university professor
Anna Mirga-Kruszelnicka – ERIAC Executive Director
Through the Romani Gili Contest, ERIAC continues its commitment to creating platforms that amplify Roma cultural production, support artistic visibility, and encourage new forms of connection between heritage, creativity, and community.