Open Call for Friedrich Becker Prize 2020

In awarding the Friedrich Becker Prize – donated by Hildegard Becker (1928–2018) – the Gesellschaft für Goldschmiedekunst (Association for Goldsmiths’ Art), Hanau wishes to commemorate Friedrich Becker as an extraordinary individual and important designer, and in accordance with his spirit, to recognize the best of the succeeding generation of designers.

The Friedrich Becker Prize is endowed with 10.000,00 € and has been awarded every three years since 1999 by the Gesellschaft für Goldschmiedekunst, Hanau, for outstanding, independent design with highest-quality execution.

Previous prize-winners: The Friedrich Becker Prize has previously been awarded to Rudolf Bott (1999), Anette Walz (2002), Peter Bauhuis (2005), Robert Baines (2008), Alexander Vohswinkel (2011) Sam Tho Duong (2014) and Michael Becker (2017). 


Key Dates:
14.02.2020, the last day to apply the first jury session: photograph jury.
16.03.2020, the last day to receive the object for the second jury session: object jury.
23.06.2020, award ceremony and exhibition opening, exclusively online.
07.07.2020 - 23.08.2020, the exhibition at Stadtmuseum in Düsseldorf.
The dates for the exhibition at Goldsmiths’ House in Hanau will be announced soon. 


Theme and Materials:
Submissions should be jewelry or hollow/flatware, either one-of-a-kind or a prototype for serial production with an innovative character typical of Friedrich Becker’s work, which has been produced within the last three years. The inclusion of new materials and techniques is equally as desirable as the utilization of the classic materials for jewelry, hollow and flatware design. 


Participation:
Gold- and silversmiths, jewelry and metal artists and designers, both domestic and foreign, are invited to submit entries. Each participant may submit a maximum of three works.

The value in euros (material value and work hours) stated by the participant will be considered as the insurance value (maximum: 15.000,00 €/work). The insurance coverage by the organizer begins with the arrival of the work(s) and ends with the receipt of the shipment by the receiver.

In the case of loss or damage, only the cost of the material and work hours will be compensated. The works must be so constructed that they can withstand repeated packing and unpacking.

The entry fee is 45.00 €. The entries will only be submitted to the jury when the entry fee has been paid. The entry fee is to be paid to the following bank account:
Gesellschaft für Goldschmiedekunst e.V., Sparkasse Hanau 
IBAN: DE77 5065 0023 0000 0565 80, Swift-Bic: HELADEF1HAN 
PayPal: paypal@gfg-hanau.de


Jury:
Sam Tho Duong, goldsmith, jewelry designer, Pforzheim.
Cornelie Holzach M.A., museum director, Schmuckmuseum Pforzheim.
Prof. Andrea Wippermann, diploma designer, Hochschule Wismar/Design Faculty.

The decision of the jury is final with no legal recourse. 


Competition Procedure:
The selection of the works (prize-winner and exhibition objects) will take place in two jury sessions, a photograph jury and an object jury.

1. Photograph Jury: submissions to be received in Hanau no later than February 14, 2020: 

• completed registration form
• short biography (digital) 
• printable, digital photo files of the work(s) by email (tif, jpg, psd, min. 2500 x 2500 pixels, photo proof)

After the Photograph Jury, the selected participants will be notified and requested to ship the work(s). 

2. Object Jury: the works selected by the jury must be received in Hanau no later than March 16, 2020.
Entries from Germany/EU countries: The shipment must be accompanied by a copy of the registration form and be sent pre-paid to the Deutsches Goldschmiedehaus Hanau, Altstädter Markt 6, D- 63450 Hanau, Germany. 
Entries from non-EU countries: The shipment must be sent pre-paid to the Deutsches Goldschmiedehaus Hanau, Altstädter Markt 6, D-63450 Hanau, Germany. 
Three work photographs or copies, as well as three copies of the registration form, must be included with the shipment (customs clearance). The value declaration must be in euros. The objects must be declared as exhibition objects and not as merchandise. The shipment may be sent by mail or by a shipping company. If a shipping company is utilized, please make certain that the company declares the objects as exhibition objects and that these will not be for sale. The German Goldsmiths’ House will arrange for customs clearance. 


Award Ceremony: 
The award ceremony will take place exclusively online.
The exhibition will take place on July 7th, 2020, at the Stadtmuseum in Düsseldorf. The laudation will be held by Dr. Sabine Runde, senior custodian, curator of Applied Art from the Middle Ages to the Present, Museum Angewandte Kunst, Frankfurt.
The prize winner and selected works will be shown until August 23rd, 2020 in the Stadtmuseum and then in the German Goldsmiths’ House in Hanau.


Click the link here for the German version.