Female leaders are recognized for their performance,

in the field of art and culture, in their communities

the fourth consecutive year, the Neoenergia Institute announced the 16 female leaders who won the Inspire Award. They are from four states — Bahia, Rio de Janeiro, Rio Grande do Norte, and Pernambuco — in addition to the Federal District. Together they have in common the capacity to improve the quality of life of their communities through art and culture. The list of winners is available here. The winners will share the prize of R$ 122,800 thousand.

“We are committed to increasingly valuing the role of women in society. Art and culture are fundamental tools for social inclusion, especially in regions far from large urban centers. The Inspirar Award is a recognition of women's efforts to strengthen local culture,” says Renata Chagas, CEO

In all, 106 women had valid registrations and applied this year, 77% of whom were black, from 48 municipalities and administrative regions in Bahia, Pernambuco, Rio de Janeiro, Rio Grande do Norte, São Paulo, Mato Grosso do Sul, Piauí, Paraíba and the Federal District, reaching remote and socially vulnerable locations.

The Inspirar Award has a technical partnership with Baluarte Cultura and the collaboration of the five Neoenergia distributors — Neoenergia Brasília (DF), Neoenergia Coelba (BA), Neoenergia Cosern (RN), Neoenergia Elektro (SP/MS) and Neoenergia Pernambuco (PE). The candidates competed in two categories: Women and Collectives. Fourteen of them were chosen by popular vote and the other two for cultural merit, selected by the External Committee of Experts. Criteria such as inspiration, transformation, articulation, diversity, and creativity were evaluated. The award also considered the commitment of leaders to improve the quality of life of people in the communities in which they operate