Groningen hosted yesterday the award ceremony of European Border Breakers Music Awards (EBBA). Ten groups and singers from all over Europe received their awards, and Milow, the belgian singer, also won the first time ever public choice award.

The awards are funded through the EU Culture Programme, which also funds the European Union Contemporary Architecture Prize, the European Union Prize for Cultural Heritage and the European Union Prize for Literature.

The European Border Breaker Awards are given to debut artists or groups for their success in crossing national borders and reaching audiences outside their own country by the European Commission, in cooperation with the European Broadcasting Union (EBU). 

With the European Border Breaker Awards, the European Commission and the EBU wish to highlight the success of 10 debuting European artists in selling albums and touring outside their home territory.

The novelty for 2010 has been the introduction of the Public Choice EBBA: one of the 2010 winners, chosen by the European audience as the most popular border breaking act in Europe and will be rewarded with the Public Choice EBBA. Milow, a belgian singer who has reached a huge success with "Ayo Technology", has been chosen as the most popular debutant singer in Europe by the citizens.

The European Border Breaker Award Ceremony took place last night in the Oosterpoort Theatre in Groningen, Netherlands, during the the EuroSonic Noorderslag Festival.