Congratulations to the winners of the international ex-libris competition “Trakai 700. In Search of Identity: Trakai Resident’s DNA” announced at the Trakai History Museum in 2021!

            The competition aims to promote the bookplate and the city of Trakai. Its goal is to depict the identity of Trakai through a historical prism and to search for the face of Trakai as a multicultural city in the historical context where all ethnic groups and communities – Jews, Karaites, Tatars, Polish and Russians – are of equal importance.

            There were 96 participants that attended the competition organized by the Trakai History Museum, representing 29 countries of the world: Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Germany, India, Italy, the USA, Japan, Canada, Croatia, Poland, Latvia, Lithuania, North Macedonia, Mexico, Norway, France, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovenia, Sweden, Turkey, Ukraine and Hungary.

At the end of the competition, a jury led by Alvyga Zmejevskienė, director of the Trakai History Museum on July 29-30, 2021 , selected the best 144 works from 181 ex-libris submitted by 96 contestants. From 18th of November there are 144 ex-libris exhibited in the Trakai Island Castle and included in the exhibition catalog.

            Based on the decision of the jury, the top three professional artists were awarded 1st, 2nd and 3rd prizes. The secondary top three artists who used traditional graphic techniques in their works, as well as three authors who created their works by the means of new technologies, copyright techniques and computer graphics, were awarded 1st – 3rd place diplomas; 15 authors were awarded laureate diplomas.

            During the selection of the best artwork, special attention was given to the application of traditional graphic techniques, professional execution of work, application of new technologies, computer graphics, creativity, exclusiveness of worktion, while studying of o the Trakai history and culture.

            On behalf of the Trakai History Museum, we would like to thank all the authors who became interested in the idea of the competition. We thank the project partners and the spaces that will open their doors to the traveling exhibitions featuring the works of the contestants.