ASBL Les Amis d’ma Mere

3rd Edition of the Elisabeth Burdot Prize in support of young artistic creation
2025-2026: Contemporary textiles.

Created in 2015 by a team of volunteers passionate about art, the Association Les Amis d’ma mère aims to support young artistic creation by accompanying young artists under the age of 38 in their professional career. One of the “flagship” actions of the association is the Elisabeth Burdot Prize, in support of young creation, entirely funded by private patrons and the general public. The two first editions of this Prize, devoted to Painting and Drawing (1) and to Engraving (2), have already succeeded in awarding grants of €2,000/1,000 to each of the six award-winning artists and to also offer them a major exhibition, bringing together the winners and the artists of the final selection.
Building on the success of the previous Awards, Les Amis d’ma mère will launch a third edition in 2025-2026, this time dedicated to contemporary textile art.

The call for projects will be aimed at young artists under 38 years of age residing, studying or working in the Wallonia-Brussels Community (*)

The Organizing Committee of the Prize will ensure the call for projects, the selection procedures, the composition of the jury, the funding of the grants and will organize the final exhibition.The Committee will be advised by a group of experts composed of artists, curators and teachers from the art world dedicated to the art and creation of contemporary textiles. It will also be supported by an advisory group composed of members of the non-profit organization LADMM, among others.

The Awards ceremony will take place at the opening of the exhibition, which will be held from January 29 to February 15, 2026 at the Centre d’Art du Mont-de-Piété (Espace Freddy Thielemans, 19 rue Saint-Ghislain, B-1000 Brussels). This exhibition will bring together the 12 artists of the final selection, including the 3 winners whose work will be particularly highlighted.

The Organizing Committee:
France Soubeyran, Roland Dewulf, Jean-Jacques Jespers, Diana De Crop

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The non-profit organization “Les Amis d’ma Mère” pursues the following objectives:

• Regularly organize exhibitions open to beginner artists in the various fields of visual arts: painting, engraving, illustration, drawn screen printing, photography, videography, comics, digital image processing, etc. ;

• Make these exhibitions public events likely to increase the reputation of the exhibiting artists;

• Regularly inform the general public of activities, publications and works produced by beginning artists;

• Regularly inform beginning artists of events, exhibitions, training, master classes, events, installations, etc. taking place in Belgium and neighboring countries and in which they could take part or which could increase their knowledge and experience;

• Provide the general public and beginning artists with regularly updated information on developments, trends, new releases, editorial initiatives, etc. in the field of visual arts;

• Regularly organize training sessions open to beginning artists with the aim of providing them with complete and rigorous information on issues such as copyright and neighboring rights, the functioning of authors' societies, the status of the artist in social law, the obligations and rights of salaried or self-employed workers, the role of temporary or umbrella companies, company law, accounting, taxation, VAT. in terms of works of art, etc.

• Support all artists, and specifically emerging artists, in their administrative and social efforts to build their status and help them emerge in the art world.

• Organize the (annual/biennial) “Elisabeth Burdot Prize – Support for Young Creation” of which the non-profit organization “Les Amis d’ma Mère” is the custodian of the name.

Elisabeth Burdot: Who was she?

Died in 2021, Elisabeth BURDOT was a great professional in audiovisual journalism in Belgium. A war correspondent, she traveled the world and was present on all news fronts. All the subjects she tackled, she made them fascinating and deeply human. She has received numerous journalism awards. She was also a radiant, generous woman who loved the arts, who never ceased to be enthusiastic about artists and to support young creation. She was curious in her choices and close to the artists she loved and discovered. Her favorite city was New York, which she adored and where her son Bertrand Buchin lives. She spent several stays there each year.

At the end of her life, she generously got involved alongside our association “Les Amis d’ma Mère” to help young artists, so weakened by the Covid pandemic. And on the eve of her death, she made a significant donation to our association.

To honor her commitment and perpetuate her memory, “Les Amis d’ma Mère” created a Prize which now bears her name and is intended to encourage and support young emerging creators, which is greatly needed in today’s world.

“Elisabeth Burdot Prize – Support for Young Artistic Creation”.

The 1st edition took place in 2022 (Elisabeth Burdot Prize - Pictorial works of free expression in painting and drawing). The 2024 edition of the PEB was dedicated to engraved and printed images, in partnership with the Museum of Engraving and Printed Images in La Louviere (Belgium).