grand prix
2025 year's grand prix winner
was awarded to Jim Licaretz (USA) for his medal Autoritratto di Fantasia. The artist himself wrote in the exhibition catalogue: "Thinking about medals I have made over the last few years"
100 x 100 x 22 mm, bounded aluminium, cast
Photo: Jim Licaretz 2025
The Jury's motivation:
“The jury, comprised of Australian delegate and former Grand Prix winner Michael Meszaros, Portuguese delegate and Executive Committee member João Bernardo dos Santos, and congress organisation member David Weidgenannt, made the following considerations regarding their decision.
Jim Licartez’s work Autoritratto di Fantasia presented a strong design that directly addressed the subject. The title of the medal perfectly captures the key to its meaning. In this excellent self-portrait, the face looks into the distance while the brain focuses on fantasy and recalls the past. The ring forms a circle that contains the idea and creates a private space for the imagination. A range of fantasies, memories, and influences is suggested by the small panels springing from the head — antiquity, literature, music, mystery. The medal was beautifully modelled, cast, and patinated, representing a perfect marriage of innovation and traditional values.
The jury also noted that the judging process was greatly facilitated by the excellent quality of the exhibition. The lighting, arrangement, and perpendicular point of view allowed the works to be shown to their best advantage.”
Jury: Michael Meszaros (Australia), David Weidgenannt (Germany,and João Bernardo dos Santos (Portugal)