Nicoletta Demetriou wins European Cultural Heritage and Europa Nostra Awards for The Cypriot Fiddler

Brussels, Belgium. Researcher and ethnomusicologist Nicoletta Demetriou has been awarded at the European Cultural Heritage Awards and Europa Nostra Awards for her film The Cypriot Fiddler. Her work won in the research category on Thursday night and was also chosen as one of five recipients of the Grand Prix Award for 2026.

Research recognition

Demetriou was recognised for her research into the musical traditions and oral history of Cyprus. She has worked with academic institutions and cultural organisations in Cyprus and internationally.

The Cypriot Fiddler project

The Cypriot Fiddler is based on more than 15 years of ethnographic fieldwork and interviews with traditional musicians from both the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot communities. The project aims to document the lives, experiences and musical traditions of older performers while preserving linguistic expressions, musical terminology and shared cultural references between the island’s two communities.

The project includes a book, a documentary film and a digital archive.

Jury praise and related work

The Europa Nostra jury praised the project for its systematic, grassroots approach to safeguarding Cyprus’ shared intangible cultural heritage and promoting understanding between Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots.

Demetriou has also recently taken part in the documentary Echoes of Cyprus, which focuses on the tsiattista tradition and its Unesco listing and premiered in Brussels earlier this month.

Other honours at the event

At the same event, former European health commissioner Androulla Vassiliou and the AG Leventis Foundation received Europa Nostra Medals of Honour for their cultural heritage contributions.