By creating the Festival de Télévision de Monte-Carlo in 1961, Prince
Rainier III of Monaco, wished to "encourage a new art form, in the service of peace and understanding between men". Monaco's international status ideally suited the Prince's ambition: to recognize television as an exceptional means of bringing cultures together and enhancing their respective knowledge. The project generated worldwide interest and, over the years, many distinguished celebrities have sat on the juries, bringing international recognition to the best of television programming. However, the Monte-Carlo Television Festival is above all, since the 1980s, a very important opportunity for business, a huge international market. Prince Albert II has been the Honorary President of the Festival since 1988. The best of worldwide television programming has been rewarded with
Golden Nymph statuettes, copies of the "
Salmacis" nymph by the Monegasque sculptor
François Joseph Bosio (1768–1845), chief court sculptor to Louis XVIII, the original of which is on show at the
Louvre Museum in
Paris. ==The Golden Nymph Awards==