The awards were decided by an independent curatorial team, selected to reflect the diverse perspectives of Berlin club culture. This team evaluated the applications in terms of content, cultural and artistic quality and, with this year’s thematic focus also in mind, jointly determined which clubs and collectives to honor. In order to ensure an independent decision, individual members of the curatorial team recused themselves from decisions concerning clubs or collectives in which they themselves are active or involved.
DJ GIGOLA
Paulina Schulz, better known as DJ Gigola, is an electronic music DJ and producer born and raised in Berlin. Since 2016, she has been a member of the artist collective Live From Earth. Growing up, the music and aesthetics of the Love Parade and Berlin’s club culture influenced her significantly. She has since turned this passion into her profession. With her daring yet authentic style, she is an up-and-coming voice in Berlin’s new generation of DJs.
Lewamm "Lu" Ghebremariam
is an activist, Clubcommission board member, and full-time campaign strategist for the platform Change.org. Her varied activities are united by a goal of giving more space to "marginalized" voices. In that spirit, she seeks to bring about a non-discriminatory, diverse and sustainable club culture. She has been hosting the queer-feminist party series BRENN. since 2017.
PANSY
is the stage and internet persona of Parker Tilghman. The American-born artist developed his work increasingly in nightclubs, festivals and public cultural institutions. For her, drag is a form of expression that promotes social justice and the voices of other female*, trans* and non-binary artists. In his work, she mixes comedy and camp in order to discuss issues such as HIV, racism, mental health and sexual violence.
Volkan Ağar
is a society and media editor at taz, where his column "Postprolet" also appears, focused on questions of class and social inequality. In addition to his personal enthusiasm for hip hop, he focuses on the tensions and interplay between cultural free spaces and economic exploitation in Berlin's club culture.
Whitney Wei
is a journalist, artist and editor-in-chief of Resident Advisor. Her work focuses on club culture and the subcultures of electronic dance music around the world. Both her career and her personal life are largely defined by club culture - whether at sweaty warehouse parties in Brooklyn or in Berlin's club culture, to which she feels deeply connected since moving to the city.
