The George Verberg Scholarship was created by Groningen City Council to mark the occasion of the retirement of George Verberg from his position as director of the NV Nederlandse Gasunie. The scholarship is intended for students and new graduates of the bachelor Fine Art and the Frank Mohr International Masters at Minerva Academy of Art, Hanze University of Applied Sciences, Groningen. The scholarship amounts to a sum of € 10,000 and is a part of ‘Groningse Nieuwe’, which is an initiative of the Municipality to reinforce the developmental opportunities for young, talented artists.
Stay in Northern and Eastern Europe
On the basis of the good relationship between the Groningen Gasunie and the Russian Gazprom, and the significance of George Verberg in the construction of the Russian (gas) pipeline, the winner of the George Verberg Scholarship is given the opportunity to stay in Northern or Eastern Europe for a certain period of time. In the Municipality of Groningen’s Culture Memo entitled ‘Cultuurstad Groningen, gewoon bijzonder!’ (Culture City Groningen, simply extraordinary!), this area has been extended with the so-called ‘Northern Development Axis’. Accordingly, since 2009, winners of the George Verberg Scholarship have been able to stay not only in the Baltic States but also in Germany, Poland and Scandinavia.
Winners George Verberg Scholarship
2012 Marcel de Vries (FMI Masters)
2011 Henrike Scholten (bachelor Fine Art)
2010 Eleanor Grootoonk (FMI Masters)
2009 Mina Minov (FMI Masters)
2008 Sanne Rous (FMI Masters)
2007 Jaime Ibanez (bachelor Fine Art)
2006 Alex Winters (FMI Masters)
2005 Jantina Wijnja (bachelor Fine Art)