Since its creation, this award, which is open to professional craftsmen and women, has honored the talent of 139 people working in a wide range of areas whose creations illustrate and highlight the “intelligence of the hand”.

Présentation du Prix Liliane Bettencourt pour l'Intelligence de la main
  • 1999year of creation of the prize
  • 3awards
  • 139awarded people

The award comes in three categories :

  • Talents ;

  • Dialogues ;

  • Parcours.

 

Timetable

The selection process takes place in three steps for all three categories.

In the first, administrative step, the admissibility of applications is examined. For Parcours, a presentation form is established for each applicant mentioned.

A committee of experts specific to each award then makes a pre-selection.

Lastly, the jury, common to all three awards, chooses the winners.

  • Opening of the 2027 call for applications October 8, 2026

  • Closing of the 2027 call for applications March 10, 2027

  • Designation of the winners Fall 2027

The jury

The President

  • Laurence des Cars

    -

The members

  • Hubert Barrère

    Ambassador for the art crafts at Chanel

  • José Levy

    Designer

  • Anne Démians

    Architect

  • Didier Krzentowski

    Founder of galerie Kreo

  • Blanca Li

    Dancer and choreographer

  • India Mahdavi

    Architect and designer

  • Grégoire Scalabre

    Ceramic artist, winner of the “Talents d’exception” award in 2022

The Talents Award

Sébastien Desplat - 2026 Talents laureate © Yohanne Lamoulère / Tendance Floue

Presentation of the award

The “Talents d'exception” award honors an artisan for creating a work that demonstrates a perfect mastery of the techniques and craftsmanship of an artistic craft. In particular, this work must contribute to the evolution of this craftsmanship and may involve adapting techniques, tools, or materials in response to the craft’s current challenges (whether ecological, cultural, or technical).

  • Amount: 50,000€
  • Funding:  up to 100,000€ depending on the project

The Dialogues Award

Louis Monier and Edgar Jayet - 2026 Dialogues laureates © Yohanne Lamoulère / Tendance Floue

Presentation of the award

The Dialogues Award is attributed for collaboration between an artisan and a designer. The collaboration must result in a sufficiently accomplished prototype or an object that demonstrates both outstanding craftsmanship and creative design.

  • Amount: 50,000€ divided equally between the two winners
  • Funding: up to 150,000€, for the winners to carry out experiments, research and innovation on their prototype or object.

The Parcours Award

Musée de la Nacre et de la Tabletterie - 2025 Parcours laureate © Julie Limont

Presentation of the award

This award is given to a natural or legal person for a strong commitment and contribution to French craftsmanship.

  • Amount: 50,000€ 
  • Funding: up to 100,000€ for a project that promotes French craftsmanship

Selection method

There is no call for applications for this award. The Foundation invites a network of personalities to recommend organizations that meet the established criteria. Then, an outside panel of experts shortlists the recommendations and submits them to the jury.

Funding

Convinced that time is a key element in a project’s success, the Foundation offers the winners funding. As part of the award, funding lasts a maximum of three years. This tailor-made aid is granted for very specific purposes (purchasing raw materials, recruiting apprentices, etc.), but also makes it possible to increase the number of contacts, creating a real community of mutual aid and sharing between artisans and creators.

See all the laureates

Applying

Applications for the 2027 edition are open until 10 March 2027. Once you have confirmed that your project meets the specifications, you can submit your application by filling out an online form.

Applying for an award