The Regional Government considers that the "emergence of new talents in the Azorean society is a necessity" for the assertion of the Azorean identity in the present and in the future," stated the Regional Director for Youth.

Pilar Damião attended the jury meeting where the works submitted under Labjovem - Young Creators of the Azores Competition. The government official highlighted the investment and the effort carried out by the Government in order to achieve the initial goals of this competition.

The Regional Director also stressed that this initiative will feature a judging panel of "recognised merit at a regional and national level."
The judging panel includes several personalities from different areas: Márcio Mendes, Carlos Marques and João Costa Ribeiro, architecture; Martin Pedroso, João Didelet and Cláudia Galhós, performing arts; Lourenço Egreja, Sandra Vieira Jurjens and José Dominguez, plastic arts.

Furthermore, the jury is also composed by the following members: Ana Margarida, Miguel Vieira and António Gracias, fashion design; Pedro Falcão, João Tovar and Filipa Bensaúde, graphic design; Magali Tarouca, Rita Carmo and Pepe Brix, photography; Susana Antão, Pedro Vieira and Bruno Rafael, illustration and comics; Nuno Costa Santos, Rui Zink and Joel Neto, literature; Luís Varatojo, Frankie Chavez and Gabriel Gomes, music; Miguel Valverde, José Pinheiro and Miguel Nogueira, video.

The fourth edition of LABJOVEM will travel to Lisbon in November 2014 and will be featured at LX Factory. For Pilar Damião, this initiative aims to "stimulate and acknowledge artistic creation of Azorean youngsters not only among other youngsters, but also to promote dialogue between artists, experts and the public in general."

Under Labjovem, the winners of each area will be awarded a grant in the amount of 1,500 Euros. According to Pilar Damião, this initiative has provided an actual stimulus to the creativity of young Azoreans since its first edition.
 
"With programmes such as Labjovem and “Põe-te em Cena,” the Regional Government has provided all Azorean youngsters with the opportunity of sharing creative experiences, the dream and the utopia that have opened the way for the re-enchantment of the world. In this context, the Government has also boosted the labour market in accordance with the goals of the knowledge economy under the 2020 Agenda," said the Regional Director for Youth.