The International Goldsmith Art Competition SILVER has been attracting creators from all over the world for over three decades. Its results are announced during the Opening Weekend of the Legnica SILVER Festival, which is accompanied by numerous exhibitions dedicated to goldsmith art and the „Borders of Global Art” seminar. The high artistic level of the exhibitions presented, including the competition exhibition, attracts jewellery designers, lecturers from art universities, curators, and collectors from various countries, making the Legnica festival – alongside Munich Jewellery Week – one of the most important events of its kind in the world.
EVERY BODY – O Heavens, no taboo
The 34th International Jewellery Art Competition EVERY BODY, organised as part of the Legnica Silver Festival, brought.
Participants grappled with the slogan EVERY BODY, speaking through contemporary jewellery about corporeality – including its cultural taboos, limitations, phobias, and complexes – on a physical, intimate, and cultural level.
The competition entries were judged by an international jury composed of: Paul Derrez (Netherlands) – artist, curator, and gallerist; Sławomir Fijałkowski (Poland) – professor of fine arts, designer, and artist; Sergiusz Kuchczyński (Poland) – PhD, university professor, and artist; Andreia Gabriela Popescu (Romania) – jewellery designer, artist, and academic teacher; and Helena Renner (Germany) – goldsmith artist.
From the submitted entries, the judges selected works by 40 artists from 12 countries, which make up the post-competition exhibition. The jury highlighted the high artistic level, diversity of creative approaches, and the boldness of interpretation of this year's competition theme.
We endeavoured to ensure that all the semantic fields of the EVERY BODY theme, which can be distinguished as common, were represented, and to select the work that best illustrates them. The final choice is a compromise combining craftsmanship that transcends workshop conventions with a brilliant interpretation of the theme. Ultimately, the selected group of works meets these requirements, representing the full diversity of this exhibition – the judges emphasised.
Grand prizes
GRAND PRIX Minister of Culture and National Heritage – 20,000 Polish złoty + 1 kg of silver sponsored by KGHM Polska Miedź S.A. + a hotel voucher for Qubus Hotel: Alexandra Popova (Bulgaria)
Grand Prix is the unambiguous choice. The work does not impose any interpretation, but gives rise to speculation and opens up different readings. Formally, it is very expressive and powerful. It is associated with something dangerous, with war, violence or a tool of confrontation, against which the body remains defenceless. Evoking the landscape of a slaughterhouse, it becomes an eloquent symbol of (in)humanity and a political message. At the same time, hanging on hooks can be an extreme experience for some, balancing between pain and pleasure. As the jury noted, we live in times when many people derive satisfaction from the symbolic „hanging on hooks” of others.
Second Prize of the Minister of Culture and National Heritage – 15,000 zł + 1 kg of silver funded by KGHM Polska Miedź S.A. + a stay voucher for Hotel Qubus: Martyna Szczotka
The second prize, based on the idea of a mirror, was described by the jury as a beautiful, inward-looking work about self-control.
3rd Prize of the President of the City of Legnica – PLN 5,000 + 1 kg of silver funded by KGHM Polska Miedź S.A. + a stay voucher for Qubus Hotel: Marta Hryc
The third prize is a nostalgic and poetic tale about absence and loss. It evokes associations with both cemetery architecture and with closeness, intimacy and the memory of a person who was present just that morning.
The three first prizes tell three different stories, while at the same time building a narrative about the entire exhibition, giving it balance. The fact that they raise questions and don't offer unequivocal answers speaks very well of them. The awarded works always become a topic of discussion and invite dialogue – the jury noted.
Other statutory awards
SILVER SPUR – Organisers' Special Award for creative courage, uncompromising approach, innovation, or wit in artistic expression: Klára Kocúriková (Czech Republic)
Award of the Legnica Art Gallery – solo exhibition with catalogue: Je-yee Lee (South Korea)
Discretionary awards
The significance of the competition is also reflected in the fact that a dozen or so non-statutory prizes are awarded annually, funded by galleries, publishers, institutions, organisations, and organisers of international trade fairs, among others.
Among the winners were, among others: Aneta Olszewska, Kristýna Španihelová, Felicia Vilensten, Justyna Anioł, Natascha Frechen, Gina Nadine Müller, Elena Gorbunova, Martin Grosman, Estera Broda, Marta Hryc, and Je-yee Lee.
In the set of submitted works, we lacked a bit of daring and a „wow factor”. We were looking for beauty and glamour, whereas most of the works spoke of ugliness, difficult emotions, and corporeality. However, showing audiences not only beautiful things is extremely important – it forces introspection and reflection on oneself and the world around us. The selected works show jewellery as an act of art and courage. Not everyone has the courage to wear a work of art – the jury concluded.
Place: Art Gallery, Cathedral Square 1
Term 18.04. – 19.07.2026
Opening hours: Tuesday-Sunday: 12:00-18:00
Free entry
More information: Legnica EVERY BODY Festival https://silver.legnica.eu/index.php/wystawy-silver-2026
Place: Art Gallery, Cathedral Square 1
Term 18.04. – 19.07.2026
Opening hours: Tuesday-Sunday: 12:00-18:00
Free entry