Elfed Roberts
Nominated for Culture award
Elfed Roberts is the chief executive of the National Eisteddfod, an annual travelling cultural festival that celebrates the arts through the medium of Welsh. Elfed has been at the helm of the National Eisteddfod for nearly 25 years.
Under Elfed’s leadership the Eisteddfod has developed significantly over recent years, offering new and exciting opportunities for visitors to the festival. The Eisteddfod week offers a flurry of events and cultural activities relevant to Wales today. Elfed has embraced change to build on the Eisteddfod’s achievements year on year and has faced the challenges of organising the festival in a tumultuous financial climate. Through it all, Elfed has ensured that the Welsh language and Welsh heritage are central to all he does.
With Elfed in charge, the Eisteddfod is an accessible and welcoming festival, relevant to contemporary life in Wales and attracts millions of Welsh speakers, non-Welsh speakers and learners annually.
The Eisteddfod’s biggest achievement to date is the National Eisteddfod in Abergavenny 2016, an area not usually linked to the Welsh language or Welsh medium culture. Despite challenges, the Eisteddfod was a resounding success and regarded as the best for some time.