The Ukrainian Institute, in partnership with the Europe Jazz Network (EJN), is proud to announce the winners of the first Ukrainian Jazz Prize 2025, a national award established to recognise outstanding Ukrainian jazz musicians and support their international development.
The Prize highlights the diversity, innovation, and resilience of the Ukrainian jazz scene, and aims to strengthen its presence within the European and global music landscape.
Best Ukrainian Jazz Band 2025
The Grand Prix has been awarded to Hyphen Dash. The band impressed the jury with their adventurous musical language, and strong artistic identity, combining complex structures with a sense of playfulness, dance, and humor. Their performance stands out for its originality and bold approach to improvisation, revealing a young ensemble with significant international potential. The jury also acknowledges the band’s growing visibility on the European scene, marking them as an exciting act to watch in the coming years.
As the main prize, Hyphen Dash will embark on a European concert tour around the dates of the upcoming European Jazz Conference in Cologne, performing at leading jazz venues supported by EJN members.
Special Prizes
The jury also awarded two special recognitions:
- ShekBand Family Trio – for their exceptional musicality, strong ensemble connection, and refined performance skills. The trio will receive a one-day recording session at DUMA Studios in Kyiv.
- Oleksandr Malyshev Quintet – for their original compositional approach and compelling contemporary fusion sound. The jury particularly highlighted the outstanding performance of alto saxophonist Borys Mohylevskyi and the group’s high artistic level. The band will receive a professional consulting session from the Ukrainian label Pomitni to support their international promotion.
Best Ukrainian Jazz Album Release 2025
The award for Best Ukrainian Jazz Album Release 2025 goes to “Unnatural Root” by Hilarious Disasters.
The international jury commended the album for its strong conceptual approach, drawing on Ukrainian folk songs as a foundation, and for its bold, episodic structure, expressive dynamics, and distinctive artistic voice. The integration of ethnographic field recordings and traditional elements was highlighted as particularly compelling, creating a powerful dialogue between heritage and contemporary jazz expression. The live recording format further enhances the authenticity and immediacy of the project.
Further albums highlighted by the international jury include “Proteus” by Andrii Pokaz, “Get a Second Wind” by Dima Bondarev, “UTOPIA” by GANNA, and “Seasons / Rhythmus der Welt” by Tamara Lukasheva.
For the winner of the Best Ukrainian Jazz Album Release 2025, a dedicated international promotion package is foreseen, including album reviews and/or artist interviews in leading international jazz media. In addition, a curated chart of the top 5 selected albums will be compiled by the jury and widely circulated among international media platforms, radio stations, and professional networks, further amplifying the visibility of Ukrainian jazz and supporting its outreach to new audiences.
International Jury
The Best Ukrainian Jazz Band 2025 category was evaluated by a distinguished international jury composed of leading artistic directors of major European jazz venues:
- Maria Rylander (EJN Board Member; Göteborg Artist Center, Sweden)
- Frank van Berkel (Programme Director, Bimhuis, Netherlands)
- Christoph Huber (Artistic Director, Porgy & Bess, Austria)
- Michael Stückl (Artistic Director, Unterfahrt, Germany)
- Mariana Bondarenko (Head of Music, Ukrainian Institute)
The Best Jazz Album Release 2025 category was evaluated by an international jury of leading jazz media representatives:
- Ian Patterson, Editor, All About Jazz
- Matthieu Jouan, Editor-in-Chief, Citizen Jazz
- Martin Laurentius, Editor, Jazz thing
The organisers would like to express their sincere gratitude to the jury members for their professionalism, thoughtful evaluation, and dedication. Their expertise and commitment ensured a high-quality and transparent selection process, and their engagement significantly contributed to strengthening the international recognition of Ukrainian jazz artists.
The Ukrainian Jazz Prize marks an important step in the systematic international promotion of Ukrainian jazz, fostering new collaborations and strengthening connections between Ukrainian artists and the global jazz community.
International media partners: All About Jazz (USA–Europe), JazzThing (Germany), Citizen Jazz (France), Jazz-fun.de (Germany), Jazzmania (Belgium), Jazz’halo (Belgium), UK Jazz News (United Kingdom), Donos Kulturalny (Poland) and In&OutJazz (Spain).
For further information, please contact:
Mariana Bondarenko mariana.bondarenko@ui.org.ua
Ukrainian Institute is a state institution of cultural diplomacy that works to enhance the world’s understanding and perception of Ukraine and to develop its cultural relations with other countries. Established by the Government of Ukraine, the Institute operates under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Europe Jazz Network is a nonprofit Europe-wide association of organisers who specialise in creative music, contemporary jazz and improvised music created from a distinctly European perspective.
