Young glassmaking talents received Stanislav Libenský Awards.

For the second year, the Moser glassworks made the Stanislav Libenský Awards, a prestigious honour nicknamed the “glassmaker’s Oscars”. The awards are intended for young talents, with only freshly graduated students from art schools allowed to register for the contest. This year, the expert panel assessed the work of 48 finalists from 19 countries. For the 15th year, the awards were handed out during a festive gala at Prague’s Clam-Gallas Palace, and female glassmakers reigned supreme. The winner was Hong Kong artist Wai Tung Jocelyn Chan with her piece The Melody of Memories. Second place went to Akari Nishizawa of Japan for her Frozen Raindrops sculpture, and third was won by Hungary’s Kata Czinege for her piece Town Square. The Lifetime Achievement Award then went to art historian and curator of many glassmaking exhibits, Oldřich Palata. The submissions by the winners and all finalists are on display in an accompanying exhibit that will remain open to visitors of the Clam-Gallas Palace until 4 January 2025.

The legend of Czech glassmaking collaborated with the Moser glassworks

When designing the awards, Moser glassmakers drew inspiration from the mass and play of light present in Libenský’s creations. The cut, crystal sculptures feature gentle, smooth lines, the typical Moser colour rosaline, and they reflect the light beautifully. “It’s an honour to take part in a project that supports young people’s work. They are the future – both for design and the glassmaking craft itself,” says Moser Art Director, Jan Plecháč.

The Awards bear the name of Stanislav Libenský, Czech glassmaker and designer, who became a legend even during his life. He was there when the field of melted glass sculpture-making was born. His works are on display in prestigious galleries and museums of modern art around the world. Many of them he created with his wife, glass designer Jaroslava Brychtová. Some of the most significant include the twenty-two-metre-long relief of melted glass called The River of Life, created for Expo 70 in Osaka, the windows in Prague Castle’s St. Vitus Cathedral, the Meteorite Fall installation in the Ještěd hotel, and the unique cladding on the New Stage of the National Theatre. Stanislav Libenský was also a respected, inspirational, and beloved teacher. From 1963 to 1989, he led the glass studio at the Academy of Arts, Architecture and Design in Prague. He also worked together with the Moser glassworks starting in 1957. He designed vases as well as the Stockholm drinkware collection, a set so timeless it’s remained in our production since 1972.