Germany: Design competition aimed at recruiting new designers

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In Germany the designs of commemorative and collector coins are usually the results of competitions. Artists who are in the government's database of coin designers will be invited to such competitions; twelve in the case of a one-step competition, up to 30 if there are two steps. But how do you find new coin designers?

On one hand artists can apply, on the other hand the BADV (Federal Office for Central Services) launches competitions for students from time to time. The latest one, in January, was dedicated to Endangered or Vulnerable Species. The results will not be minted - it's just that the jury gets an idea of who could be a future coin designer ...

This time 29 students participated. Three won a prize and will be added to the artists database (and to this very topic ), 17 other designs won a kind of honorary award.

Christian

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First Prize: Alicia Köhler, Hanau. She picked a Sea Turtle (Cheloniidae) trying to escape from a net. The jury said this design could be minted without any modifications ...

Christian

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Second Prize: Britta Rübenach, Krefeld. Her design shows a Mountain Gorilla (Gorilla beringei), and according to the jury, the view from behind "translates" the concept very well - the endangered gorilla, going away. The eagle side does not correspond that well with the image side, the jury said, but is still pretty good.

Christian

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Third Prize: Ulrike Funck, Wismar. This design reminds of a cave painting - the Wisent (Bison bonasus) as an almost forgotten species. In this case the jury considered the eagle side to be better than the image side, but found the surface structure on both sides interesting.

Christian

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The results will not be minted - it's just that the jury gets an idea of who could be a future coin designer ...

Christian

The crucial sentence. So these are designs that will remain unrealised.

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Right. Was not quite sure about where to put the topic; "Unrealised Designs" has that subtitle "These designs were meant for coins, but not used", and we could argue that these designs were never meant for coins.   But if you think the topic would make more sense there, we can move it of course ...

Christian

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I find all three designs terrific, but only the second prize winner translated the concept of endangered animals visually. The escaping turtle is the contrary of the idea of the assignment and the cave painting is only loosely connected to endangered (not extinct) animals.

Is it a coincidence that all three winners are women?

Peter

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Right. Was not quite sure about where to put the topic; "Unrealised Designs" has that subtitle "These designs were meant for coins, but not used", and we could argue that these designs were never meant for coins.   But if you think the topic would make more sense there, we can move it of course ...

Christian

OK, done. I'll expand the title in a bit too.

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Thanks, now that topic feels comfortable here.   As for the gorilla design, yes, I like that best too. Now the turtle, well, we could argue that it may escape from the trawler net this time but not next time.

Unfortunately we do not know whether the participating students were mostly male, mostly female or "well mixed". So it could be coincidence or not that the three winners are women ...

Christian

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As for the gorilla design, yes, I like that best too.

For me, it seems to illustrate the German saying that begins, "Du kannst mich am...". But you know what I mean.