Open Call for Amberif Design Award 2026

ADA is an international competition aimed at promoting Baltic amber as a fascinating medium of artistic expression. The competition has an artistic character – emphasis is placed on the concept and the significance of the author’s artistic statement in response to the given theme.


The theme of the current edition of the competition is: THE MAGIC OF MATTER.

Amber, suspended between geological time and human imagination, is a unique medium with a powerful magnetism. But how should it be interpreted today—in a world of digital technologies, processing, and simulation, where matter increasingly becomes virtual and generative?

Where does its magic lie: in its structure and physical processes, or in the story bestowed upon it by the creator? Or perhaps it reveals itself in the process of transformation? In response to touch, temperature, movement, sound? What is it, in the digital and virtual age, that still allows matter to move us?

We encourage experimentation at the intersection of craft, art, and technology. We invite a redefinition of the concept of material, and a dialogue between amber and metal, light, sound, or digital tools. We are looking for projects that not only adorn but communicate—where meaning emerges in the relationship between matter and the human being, revealing the contemporary potential and future of amber.

The competition is open to: artists, designers, jewelry creators, students and graduates of art academies, and design teams.

Works, submitted in the form of photographs or digital visualizations (JPG, PDF), should qualify as jewellery in the broadest sense of the term, represent a high artistic and technical standard, and present an original creative concept connected to the competition theme. The selection of works will be made by an international jury composed of renowned experts in the world of art and artistic jewelry: artists, lecturers from art academies, curators, critics, and gallery owners.

The exhibition of works selected in the competition will have its premiere during the AMBERIF Fair (26–28 March 2026), at which time the awards ceremony will also take place. Afterwards, the exhibition will go on tour in Poland and abroad.

Works qualified for the exhibition will be published in a digital catalogue available on the website www.amberif.pl.


Participation Conditions

• Competition is open to everyone and free of charge.
• Works should be submitted in the form of photographs or digital visualizations (JPG or PDF, 300 DPI).
• Applications must be submitted via the online form available at: https://amberifspring26.exposupport.pl/amberif/award
• An international jury - considering the author’s interpretation of the theme, the artistic value of the work, and the innovative use of amber - will select works for the exhibition and award prizes.
• Authors of works qualified by 20.03.2026 are required to send the physical works for the exhibition to the following address: AMBEREXPO, ul. Żaglowa 11, 80-560 Gdańsk, Poland.
• The exhibition premiere will take place on 26–28.03.2026 during AMBERIF SPRING 2026 Trade Fair.

Competition Prizes:

• Grand Prize of the Mayor of the City of Gdańsk – PLN 30,000 gross (c. €7,000).
• Silver Prize – 1 kg of silver + a booth at the Amberif Spring 2027 Fair.
• Amber Prize of the International Amber Association – 1 kg of amber.
• YES Gallery Prize – 0.5 kg of silver.
• Jury Distinction.

Dates:

• 8 February 2026 – online submission deadline.
• 12–13 February 2026 – jury deliberations.
• 20 February 2026 – announcement of selected works.
• 20 March 2026 – deadline for delivery of physical works for the exhibition.
• 26 March 2026 – announcement of winners and award ceremony.

>> Competition rules


Jury:
- Malte Guttek: Managing Director of the Society of Goldsmiths (Gesellschaft für Goldschmiedekunst e.V.) and director of the German Goldsmiths' House (Goldschmiedehaus) in Hanau, one of the most important exhibition centers for goldsmithing in Germany. A graduate of the Institute of Art History in Bonn.

- Yutaka Minegishi: Artist and jewelry maker. A graduate of the Hiko Mizuno College of Jewelry in Tokyo (major in metal craftsmanship) and the Academy of Fine Arts in Munich, he graduated in 2003 under the supervision of Professor Otto Künzli. He has held solo exhibitions in Munich and Tokyo and participated in numerous international group exhibitions. He is a recipient of the Munich Art Prize (2017) and the Herbert Hoffman Award (2019).

- Bryna Pomp: Director/Curator of MAD About Jewelry at the Museum of Art and Design in New York (since 2011), formerly known as "LOOT," an annual sales exhibition showcasing the work of the world's most innovative contemporary jewelry artists. An internationally recognized expert, curator, and collector of contemporary jewelry, she holds degrees in Art History and French from Wheaton College. Throughout her long career, fully dedicated to the jewelry field, she has developed a knack for discovering unique artistic creations that combine craftsmanship, creativity, and innovation.

- Magdalena Szadkowska: A graduate of the Władysław Strzemiński Academy of Fine Arts in Łódź, where she earned her Master of Arts (2023) and Doctor of Fine Arts (2020) from the Institute of Jewellery. She also completed the Postgraduate Museum Curatorial Studies in Contemporary Art at the Jagiellonian University in Kraków (2011). An interdisciplinary artist, she combines the fields of art and design: sculpture, jewelry, unique objects, interior textiles, and clothing. She lectures at the Institute of Sculpture, Academy of Fine Arts in Łódź, and the Studio of Sculpture and Intermedia Activities.

- Olga Zobel: Founder and owner of Galerie Biró (since 1992), presenting the work of leading representatives of contemporary artistic jewelry. A graduate of history, ethnology, and art history at the University of Munich, she is an expert in unique jewelry and a collector.

 
Organizer: Gdańsk International Fair Co. / Międzynarodowe Targi Gdańskie SA.
ul. Żaglowa 11, 80-560 Gdańsk.

Competition Curator Barbara Schmidt.
Competition Secretary: Monika Szpatowicz.
mob. +48 695 988 013
e-mail: monika.szpatowicz@amberexpo.pl