Awards 13

This is the twentieth anniversary of the Henry van de Velde Awards & Labels. A special year.

The cooperation of the Flemish Parliament (FP) has underlined the prestigious character of the Awards. There has always been the very official award ceremony in the De Schelp chamber (the plenary room of the FP), attended by many people, and the exhibition in De Loketten, which placed the merits of the winners firmly in the limelight. The winners of the Lifetime Achievement, Young Talent and Company awards each received a cash prize of 2,500 euros, a silver trophy and a calligraphic certificate. The Awards have grown in significance over the years and gained a reputation far beyond our national borders. The cash prize was increased to 5,000 euros a few years ago. The winner of the Public award still receives 2,500 euros.

Every five years, we asked a well-known Flemish silversmith to design and make a trophy. The first was by Siegfried De Buck, a staff made from silver and precious wood. The next trophy, designed by Nedda El-Asmar, consisted of five silver beakers that nest inside each other. The third, a spherical calyx, was designed by David Huycke.

Helena Schepens, one of the younger silversmiths, was asked to create the fourth trophy. It was a vase constructed from silver slats linked together. The certificate had to be calligraphic to illustrate, as does the trophy, the importance of the craft aspect. It was done by Bert Binneweg at first, then by Brody Neuenschwander after 1996.