Sixth International ExLibris Competition Varna

To The Artworks

collective exhibition of graphics

Opening – Friday, June 06, 2025, 6:30 p.m.

On June 6, 2025, the exhibition with the selected works from the sixth edition of the International Exlibris Competition Varna will open at the Largo Gallery. The award-winning artists will also be announced at the opening. The organizer of the prestigious graphic forum is the Jordan Petkov Art Foundation in partnership with the Largo Gallery. The competition is implemented with the financial support of the Bulgarian Ministry of Culture and the Culture Fund of the Municipality of Varna.

This year, a record number of 364 artists from 53 countries around the world sent their graphics online to participate in the first stage of the competition. Of these, the selection jury admitted 188 artists to participate in the competition exhibition and the distribution of awards. On April 26 in Varna, an international jury composed of Assoc. Prof. Dimo Kolibarov and members – Anna Tikhonova-Jordanova (Belarus), Chris Verheyen (Belgium), Dimo ​​Milanov and Rumen Nechev, awarded 24 awards and certificates to artists from 13 countries. We are proud that some of the most prominent names in the world of ex-libris took part in the competition – for some of them this is a debut, for others – their sixth consecutive participation! The awarded artists and the winner will be announced during the opening of the exhibition at Largo Gallery.

In addition to the three prize places, the Jordan Petkov Award, the Varna Artists Association Award and the International Jury Award are awarded. In this edition of the competition, the Belgian graphic gallery Epreuve d’Artiste, an international partner of Largo Gallery, also provides an award – an invitation to a solo exhibition in Antwerp.

On June 19, 2025 in Hall 2 of the Largo Gallery, as part of the accompanying program of the competition, a solo exhibition of the winner of the previous edition of the graphic forum - the Bulgarian artist Petar Lazarov - will be opened.

The preparation of a magnificent catalog with works of the participants in the competition, as well as the exhibition's visit to a number of cities throughout the country, are part of the continuous efforts of the Jordan Petkov Art Foundation to popularize the ex-libris in Bulgaria. The competition exhibition of the fifth edition was shown in 2023 - 2024 in ten cities in Bulgaria and was seen by over 3,000 people. In October 2024, at the 40th FISAE Congress in Palma de Mallorca, the foundation team officially nominated Varna as the host of the 41st Congress in 2026. The delegates of the congress, artists and collectors from all over the world, voted with great confidence and awarded the hosting of FISAE to the sea capital of Bulgaria - Varna. And so in September 2026 Varna will become the world capital of exlibris!

The sixth edition of the International Exlibris Competition Varna is implemented by the Jordan Petkov Art Foundation and Largo Gallery with the financial support of the Bulgarian Ministry of Culture, the Culture Fund of the Municipality of Varna, the Godzila restaurant chain, the Association of Artists, Varna, the Epreuve d’Artiste Gallery - Antwerp, the Tunnellight Company and the Royal Hotel - Varna.

We look forward to seeing you at the opening and award ceremony on June 6, 2025 at 6:30 PM at the Largo Gallery in Varna, 8 Khan Krum Street. More information about the competition can be found on its website: www.exlibris-competition-varna.org.

Nelly Valcheva, Executive Director
Intarnational Exlibris Competition Varna