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The jury unanimously chose Gerris. He receives the award for his innovative work in which he combines urban sports, dance, and theater in a completely unique way. With his productions, he has reached a wide audience for many years and is regarded as an important innovator and source of inspiration for dance theater in the Netherlands.

Marco Gerris is the founder and artistic director of ISH Dance Collective. With this company, he has created numerous productions over the past twenty-five years in which dance, movement, music, and theater reinforce each other. He collaborates with makers and companies from diverse disciplines, including Dutch National Ballet, Amsterdam Sinfonietta, and the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra. His work is presented both nationally and internationally and has received multiple awards.

To mark the award ceremony, the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science (OCW) is presenting an exhibition featuring Gerris’s work. The exhibition will be on view from November 17, 2025, until the end of April 2026 in the OCW showcase on Rijnstraat 50 in The Hague.

The Johannes Vermeer Award is the Dutch state prize for the arts. The winner receives €100,000 to spend on a special project within their own field of work. The award was established by the Dutch government in 2008 and has since been presented to, among others, Marit Törnqvist, Tania Kross, Arnon Grunberg, Natasja Kensmil, and Erwin Olaf.