Presentation of the Aletta Jacobs Prize to Elanor Boekholt-O’Sullivan on 6 March 2026

On 6 March 2026, the University of Groningen (UG) will award the Aletta Jacobs Prize 2026 to lieutenant general Elanor Boekholt-O’Sullivan. The ceremony will take place in the Aula of the UG’s Academy Building. The programme includes speeches, musical interludes and of course the awarding of the prize.

Last year, the UG announced that Boekholt-O’Sullivan, the first female lieutenant general in the Dutch armed forces, would receive the Aletta Jacobs Prize. According to the jury of the Aletta Jacobs Prize, she is a woman who holds her own in the male-dominated world of the armed forces, while staying true to herself. Jury chair Prof. Marie-José van Tol: ‘She succeeds in drawing attention to the still misogynistic aspects of the Ministry of Defence in a humorous way, thereby helping to make the culture more equal from within.’ For example, Boekholt-O’Sullivan ensured that the Ministry of Defence acquired more flak jackets designed for women.

In early February 2026, it was announced that Elanor Boekholt-O'Sullivan is the proposed Minister of Housing and Spatial Planning in the Jetten cabinet.

Award ceremony programme

The Aula of the Academy Building will be open to visitors from 12.30 p.m. on 6 March. The programme will begin at 1 p.m. with a welcome by Rector Magnificus Prof. Jacquelien Scherpen. Two speakers will then take the floor: Janka Stoker, Professor of Leadership and Organizational Change at the University of Groningen, and Marieke Liem, Professor of Safety and Interventions at Leiden University and initiator of the Dutch Femicide Monitor. This will be followed by the presentation of the Aletta Jacobs Prize. There will be musical interludes throughout the programme. Afterwards, there will be a reception in the Spiegelzaal in the Academy Building until 4 p.m. Visitors must sign up for the ceremony.

About the Aletta Jacobs Prize

Every other year, the University of Groningen awards the Aletta Jacobs Prize to a woman with an academic background who has contributed to women’s emancipation in the national or international arena. The prize was established by the late Prof. Erik Bleumink, former Rector Magnificus and President of the Board of the University. Previous Aletta Jacobs Prize-winners include Rebecca Gomperts, Khadija Arib, Lilianne Ploumen, Neelie Kroes, Lilian Gonçalves-Ho Kang You, and Els Borst.