In collaboration with Camerata Nuova, Hessisches Staatstheater Wiesbaden and a jury of esteemed opera professionals, Opera Europa is delighted to be delivering the fourteenth edition of the European Opera-directing Prize (EOP). The EOP is a major international competition. Its aim is to identify, develop and promote talented stage directors and their collaborators, and offer help in establishing their careers.
Stage directors and their collaborators up to the age of 35 were invited to submit their concepts for Offenbach’s Les Contes d’Hoffmann, to be staged by host theatre Hessisches Staatstheater Wiesbaden, under its new management with Dorothea Hartmann and Beate Heine.
January 2025 turned out to be a record-breaking month! We received 92 applications, involving 260 artists across all creative teams, with 34 nationalities represented. That is the second-highest number of applications in the Prize's history, the greatest number of artists and the most widespread representation of nationalities.
Each concept is now being considered by the Prize's jury, chaired by Barbara Minghetti (Como/Parma). Up to ten teams will be invited to the semi-finals to present their ideas to the jury on 1 and 2 May 2025 during the Internationale Maifestspiele in Wiesbaden. The four finalist teams will workshop a scene with singers during Opera Europa’s autumn 2025 conference. All finalists will be awarded a cash prize in recognition of their work and achievement in reaching the finals.
For full details of the process, including deadlines, the jury, financial arrangements, technical considerations etc, please download the Application Guidelines, Application Form and Technical Rider below.
Find out more about the background, history and key collaborators on the EOP here.
