Tartu City Medal was awarded to Tartu 2024 contributors Berk Vaher and Erni Kask
At this year’s Tartu City Day, five outstanding citizens were awarded the Tartu Medal for their remarkable achievements – among them, Berk Vaher and Erni Kask, the visionaries and key contributors behind the creation of the European Capital of Culture Tartu 2024.
Berk Vaher has been one of the clearest voices behind the creative vision of Tartu 2024. His belief that Tartu must not become grey and predictable has shaped the city’s cultural policy for years. It was Berk Vaher who coined the core concept for Tartu’s European Capital of Culture bid – Arts of Survival – highlighting both environmental and human-centred themes and connecting them to Tartu’s vitality as an international cultural city and its local communities. He was the lead author of the Tartu 2024 bid book and the editor and driving force behind the vision book.
Erni Kask has been the practical and strategic backbone of the European Capital of Culture project. Already in 2017, as the foundation’s first employee, he helped shape the direction of the Capital of Culture as a strategist, team leader, and head of international relations. Under his leadership, the Tartu 2024 bid book was completed, and thanks to his collaborative skills and cultural sensitivity, Tartu has secured a strong position within the European Capitals of Culture network. His international work has also been recognised at the European level – from 2025 to 2027, he will serve on the European Commission’s expert panel shaping the future of the Capital of Culture initiative.
Tartu 2024 thanks and congratulates Erni Kask and Berk Vaher – their contribution to shaping the European Capital of Culture has been invaluable and will on long beyond the title year.
The City Medal was also awarded to Aavo Ossip, restorer of historic architecture, Andras Laugamets, innovator in emergency medical care, and Anne Maasik, acclaimed singer, actress, and cultural educator – all of whom have made remarkable contributions to Tartu.