Sport meets art in the works of the Ezüstgerely Award winners

Date: 2024.12.04
The winners of the 2024 Ezüstgerely Art Competition included several MOME alumni. Graphic Design alumna Beáta Bencsik shared first place in the Graphic Art category, while Media Design alumna Violetta Vigh took the top prize in the Installation category. Organised by the National Sports Agency, this long-standing award dating back decades celebrates the intersection of sport and art, offering significant cash prizes.

This year’s theme, ‘The Power of Community in Sport’, inspired hundreds of submissions across the fields of graphic art, installations, and photography. Community is a cornerstone of the human experience, and, in sport, even the most outstanding individual performances are backed by a team. 

Beáta Bencsik’s graphic artwork No Limit depicts a four-woman kayak team gliding across the water, possibly as a tribute to the Hungarian women’s K4 kayak team, who won bronze in the 500m event at the 2024 Paris Olympics. 

Violetta Vigh drew heavily on her own background as a competitive swimmer for her interactive installation Cheering Contest, which explores the power of community. Visitors are invited to raise a blue flag together amid loud cheering, symbolising water, sport, and a sense of belonging. The interaction creates a unique sound archive that can even be repurposed as social media content. 

This year’s award ceremony stood out for the unique collaboration between various leading art institutions. The jury included representatives from MOME, the Hungarian University of Fine Arts, the Hungarian Academy of Arts Research Institute of Art Theory and Methodology, and the Eszterházy Károly Catholic University. Representing MOME were senior lecturer Antal Bodóczky, Head and teacher of the Graphic Design BA programme Tamás Marcell, Photography teacher Krisztina Szalay, and Head of the Doctoral School Ábel Szalontai. 

The trophy of the Ezüstgerely (Silver Javelin) Award, first established in 1962, was redesigned in 2023 by MOME alumnus Boldizsár Senteski, who created a sleek, symmetrical javelin-shaped trophy. “The award’s monolithic form combines motifs from various sports. When placed on a flat surface, it also functions as a kinetic sculpture, symbolising the importance of movement. The design was inspired by the act of (award) presentation and the iconic ‘trophy lift’ seen at sporting events,” explained Senteski. 

The full list of winners and their works are available at www.ezustgerely.hu.   

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