Novi Sad entered the list of UNESCO creative cities, as the first city in this part of Europe, in the category of new and digital arts (Media arts). After the title of European Capital of Culture, Novi Sad thus stands side by side with world cities such as Linz, Lyon, Austin, Modena, Toronto and others and confirms its position as a center of culture and innovation.

“Another world recognition in the field of culture is a confirmation of the continuity of investment in the overall development of our city.” “Especially because it is a category that connects scientific and educational institutions with actors from the field of culture, giving Novi Sad a new value, which thus equally follows contemporary world trends”, said the mayor of Novi Sad, Milan Đurić.

The recognition is all the more significant because Novi Sad is one of only four cities in the world that were included in the category of media arts this year and the first in this part of Europe in that field. The candidacy of Novi Sad was also supported by the national platform Serbia creates, pointing out that the proposed programs and initiatives of Novi Sad contribute extremely to the growth of the city and its creative industries.

“Cities in our Creative Cities Network are at the forefront of improving access to culture and fostering power and creativity for urban resilience and development,” said Audrey Azoulay, UNESCO Director-General.

The UNESCO Creative City Network was created in 2004 to promote cooperation with and among cities that have identified creativity as a strategic factor for sustainable urban development. The cities that currently make up this network work together towards a common goal: putting creativity and cultural industries at the heart of their development plans at the local level and active cooperation at the international level.