The NOVO Quartet from Denmark won first prize in the Irene Steels-Wilsing Foundation 2023 competition. The 12.000 € prize includes an engagement at the Heidelberger Frühling Streichquartettfest 2024. The 2nd prize of 6.000 € went to the Chaos String Quartet, 3rd prize of 4.000 € to the Malion Quartet, both from Germany. The audience prize of 1.000 € donated by the Freundeskreis of Heidelberger Frühling e.V. was also won by the NOVO Quartet.

The Irene Steels-Wilsing Foundation competition was held for the sixth time in 2023. A total of seven ensembles had competed in front of an audience in the Alte Pädagogische Hochchule in Heidelberg. They were selected from 21 applications. Following the musical performance, the young musicians introduced themselves in a conversation that focused on their artistic drive, visions and goals.

The jury included music journalist Eleonore Büning, Amaryllis Quartet cellist Yves Sandoz, Aris Quartet violinist Noémi Zipperling, as well as Annett Baumeister, programme director of Heidelberger Frühling, and Irene Schwalb, violist and artistic advisor for the Streichquartettfest.