Rudo Spemann Prize
Every two years, the City of Offenbach awards the Rudo Spemann Prize on behalf of the Klingspor Spemann Foundation to students/trainees for a work of written art.
The 1st prize is endowed with 1500 euros, the 2nd prize with 700 euros and the 3rd prize with 300 euros. These will be awarded at the Klingspor Museum on July 14, 2023. 10 further works will also be selected for an exhibition in the museum.
With this prize, the city of Offenbach am Main is commemorating the lettering artist Rudo Spemann, who died as a prisoner of war in 1947 and whose artistic estate was donated to the Klingspor Museum by his family.
The competition is open to anyone who can prove that they are undergoing creative/artistic training. The aim is to promote handwriting of the highest quality, which characterizes Rudo Spemann's work.
This is what the task looked like
Filling empty book pages with handwriting helps many people to organize themselves and their lives, even in the digital age. Notebooks, bullet journals and diaries are booming and are increasingly becoming the subject of design in handwriting.
The Spemann Prize 2023 is therefore dedicated to handwriting in books and the question of strategies for coping with everyday life. A notebook, exercise book, diary, pocket book, etc., max. format A3, which is processed in a written artistic/calligraphic concept, can be submitted. The minimum size is the design of a double page. Anything is possible, from a double-page spread to an entire book project, etc.
The artistic writing concept should reflect life themes or strategies that can be used in a diary or notebook. How do I organize myself, what keeps me busy, what do I need, how can I document or solve problems?
Rudo Spemann has written perfectly formed long texts with enormous perseverance, but has also created enchanting linear figures from capital letters. Thanks to his mastery of the pen stroke, many of his sheets produce irritating, always formally balanced compositions. The handwritten/calligraphic realization supports the statements that the writer wants to make.
Submission of the original work (deadline: May 15)
The closing date for submissions was May 15, 2023, as per postmark.
Submission to:
Klingspor Museum
Attn: Monika Jäger
Herrnstraße 80
63065 Offenbach
When submitting the original work, the exact and complete specification of all technical means (pen, brush, ink, tablet, etc.) and a brief written explanation of the concept are expected.
Please enclose in a separate envelope: Name, address, year of birth, proof of studies. Please DO NOT include your name on the submitted work.
All elements of the work must be copyrighted by the submitter.
The jury, which decides on the awarding of the Rudo Spemann Prize and whose decision is incontestable, consists of the board of the Klingspor-Spemann Foundation and selected writing artists. The jury reserves the right to split the prize.
The prize-winning works (1st, 2nd, 3rd place) become the property of the Klingspor Museum of the City of Offenbach am Main. However, they can be borrowed by the artists themselves for exhibitions at any time. The museum accepts no responsibility for works that have not been collected by August 30, 2023 as part of the application process. It is possible to return the works. The Klingspor Museum will bear the shipping costs.
We wish all participants a lot of fun and a good idea for the design.
With kind regards
Dr. Dorothee Ader
Director Klingspor Museum
Offenbach, September 22, 2022