THE JURYING OF THE INTERNATIONAL EX LIBRIS COMPETITION OF FISAE SUCCESSFULLY CONCLUDES IN VARNA
On July 19, 2026, the jurying process of the works submitted for participation in the International Exlibris Competition, part of the program of the 41st International Congress of Exlibris Societies FISAE, was successfully completed in Varna. The congress itself, the first edition of which was in the distant 1953, will be held for the first time in Bulgaria, and the hosting of Varna was won in a contested competition with the Greek capital Athens during the previous congress in Palma de Mallorca in 2024. The organization of the competition was entrusted to the Jordan Petkov Art Foundation, which is behind the International ExLibris Competition Varna. The FISAE World Congress will be held with the financial support of the Ministry of Culture and the Culture Fund of the Municipality of Varna.
The prestigious event attracted significant interest from artists from different countries around the world. 329 authors from 35 countries took part in the competition, presenting a total of 842 graphic works in various techniques and creative directions. The high artistic level of the received works confirms the authority of the competition as an international forum for contemporary graphics.
The international jury was composed of:
CHAIRMAN: Assoc. Prof. Dimo Kolibarov, Bulgaria - artist, lecturer at the Department of Graphics of the Faculty of Fine Arts of the National Academy of Arts, Sofia
MEMBERS:
- Nelly Valcheva, Bulgaria - President of FISAE 2024-2026, Director of the Jordan Petkov Art Foundation, the Varna Bookplate Competition and the Largo Gallery;
- Prof. Valeri Chakalov, Bulgaria - artist, director of the International Biennial of Graphics Varna and the Gallery of Graphic Arts - Varna;
- Prof. Dr. Krzysztof Marek Bak, Poland – artist, lecturer at the University of Silesia, art director of the International Bookplate Competition Gliwice-Czech Republic, Poland;
- Christine Verheyen, Belgium – artist, curator, director of the Epreuve d’Artiste Gallery, Antwerp, Belgium.
In its two-day work, the jury reviewed and evaluated all submitted works according to criteria including artistic value, originality, technical mastery and creative interpretation. An additional criterion was the type and size of the font, its originality, the way the texts were woven into the image. After careful consideration and discussion, the jury selected 200 authors from 33 countries for presentation in the exhibition and catalog. In the process of its work, the jury nominated 30 artists, from whom the prize winners would be determined, as well as 15 authors, from whom the winner of the special award for an ex-libris dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the International Music Festival "Varna Summer" would be selected.
The jury determined the winners of 10 special awards, which will be announced in September: Grand Prix, Award for an ex-libris dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the International Music Festival "Varna Summer", two equal Awards for high creative achievements, Award for a young author, Awards of the Union of Bulgarian Artists and the Association of Varna Artists, awards of Largo Gallery and the Epreuve d’Artiste Gallery. Due to the very high level of the nominated artists, Prof. Valeri Chakalov proposed and the jury decided to establish a special award for overall contribution to the development and popularization of the art of the exlibris. In addition to these awards, the jury also awarded 20 special diplomas.
The Organizers from the Jordan Petkov Art Foundation express their gratitude to all the artists who participated in the FISAE competition, as well as to the members of the international jury for their professionalism, impartiality and dedication to the development of graphic art.
The official opening of the exhibition and the award ceremony will take place on September 2, 2026 at the Grafit Gallery in Varna. During the event, the awarded authors will be presented, as well as a selection of the best works submitted to the competition.
The mission of the FISAE International Congress, which will take place in Varna in September, is to promote artistic exchange between authors from different countries, to popularize contemporary graphics and to create opportunities for cultural dialogue and creative cooperation. So far, 70 artists and collectors from all over the world have registered to participate in the congress. The congress program will include numerous events - exhibitions, discussions, demonstrations, cultural tours for participants. During the congress, an exhibition of the Ruse Library "Lyuben Karavelov", which is the organizer of the other Bulgarian exlibris competition, will be presented at the Largo Gallery. The FISAE Congress is supported by the Union of Bulgarian Artists and the Association of Varna Artists. The organizers are also grateful for the long-term support of all exlibris events by the Godzila restaurant chain. The new partners who support the Jordan Petkov Art Foundation in its mission are Devin mineral water and Top Mobility.
The full program of the congress can be found at www.jordanpetkov.foundation, and more information is available on the Largo Gallery website www.largogallery.com/en.
Nelly Valcheva
Director Jordan Petkov Art Foundation
FISAE President 2024-2026
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