Aenne Burda Award honours exceptional artist FKA twigs

Courage, optimism, creativity and an unconditional belief in what is possible – that is what the Aenne Burda Award for Creative Leadership stands for. Since 2006, the award has been presented in honour of Aenne Burda to women who break new ground through outstanding creative and entrepreneurial achievements and serve as strong role models for women and future generations.

At this year's DLD Munich 26 innovation conference, held from 15 to 17 January in Munich, the prestigious award was presented to the artist FKA twigs. She received the award from Elisabeth Burda Furtwängler.

FKA twigs embodires radically human art at a time when algorithms generate images and sounds by the second. I admire the way she transforms vulnerability into strength, engages with technology without surrendering to it, and gives women greater visibility in both art and tech. She carries the spirit of my grandmother, Aenne, into the 21st century – fearless, independent and utterly unmistakable.

Elisabeth Burda Furtwängler, Shareholder Hubert Burda Media

Creative leadership and visibility for women in art and technology

FKA twigs exemplifies a new generation of female artists who radically rethink creativity, ownership and self-determination. She consistently designs her projects herself, from the idea to the composition to the visual implementation, thus demonstrating how women in creative industries can push structural boundaries and reclaim spaces of control.

I am deeply grateful to the many cultures that have shaped me – cultures that welcomed me, drew me in, and inspired me to become the artist I am today. What truly matters is having incredible people around you who believe in you and support your ideas. The work itself is hard – but it is the people around you who make it possible.

FKA twigs

In addition to her musical successes, FKA twigs has redefined what modern creative partnerships can be. She made history as the first cover star of British Vogue under the editorship of Chioma Nnadi (April 2024) and is creative director and partner at On Running, where she has created several sold-out collections and global campaigns that combine performance, movement and style. In all these roles, she uses her visibility to promote diversity, women’s perspectives and new representations of the body in pop and fashion culture.

A multidisciplinary icon

FKA twigs is not only a GRAMMY-nominated (2026) singer and songwriter, but also a producer, dancer, choreographer, visual artist, actress and fashion visionary whose cultural influence spans music, performance, film and design. Emerging from London's underground art and club scene, she redefined avant-pop with her debut EP and breakthrough album ‘LP1’ (2014), establishing herself as a unique creative force who writes, directs and physically embodies her own work.

Her subsequent albums, Magdalene (2019) and Eusexua (2025), cemented her reputation as one of the most daring artists of her generation, combining movement, experimental sounds and cinematic storytelling. In 2022, she became the youngest solo artist ever to receive NME's prestigious Godlike Genius Award, recognising her boundary-breaking influence across various disciplines.

A regular guest at the Met Gala and muse on international runways, twigs has graced the covers of Vogue, Elle, Harper's Bazaar, GQ, Dazed and i-D. She has been the face of major campaigns for Calvin Klein, H&M, Marc Jacobs, Apple and Sotheby's – where her ongoing performance ‘The Eleven’ became one of the institution's most visited live exhibitions to date. With each of these platforms, she sets the tone for the representation of women, especially women of colour, in art, fashion, music and digital spaces.

Through her ongoing fusion of art, luxury and cultural progress – and her ongoing commitment to empowering and raising the visibility of women in art and technology – FKA twigs embodies in a special way the creative leadership and pioneering spirit that the Aenne Burda Award stands for.