June 7, 2006, Arnold Rüütel, The President of the Republic of Estonia handed over to Helena Tulve the President’s Cultural Foundation’s this year’s Young Artist Prize. This prize to the amount of 50,000 Estonian kroons is an annual prize and is awarded by the President's Cultural Foundation to Estonian artists up to the age of 35 years, whose artistic achievements have been widely recognized, or whose artistic work and activities have considerably helped to make Estonia and its culture known in the world. Toomas Luman, Member of the Board of the Cultural Foundation, funds the Young Artist Prize.
Helena Tulve received the award as an outstanding composer who has gained a lot of recognition over recent years. In 2000 she was awarded the Heino Eller Composition Prize, and in 2004 the Estonian Music Council Music Prize and the Estonian Cultural Prize. In January 2005, Estonian Radio honoured her with the title of the Musician of the Year. In March 2006, Helena Tulve was festival composer for the Estonian Music Days Festival and led international master courses for composition students.
Helena Tulve was the first Estonian composer to win the first prize in 2004 at the International Rostrum of Composers for her orchestra piece “Sula” (“Thaw”). July 14, 2006, this piece will be performed as the first work of an Estonian composer at the festival World Music Days 2006 in Stuttgart, Germany.