THE GOLDEN NOVA 2026

• The contest is aimed at young talents from German-speaking countries. In this context, all university and college students, apprentices, young designers, startups and new entrants, including those starting afresh from other backgrounds, are invited to apply for the GOLDENE NOVA.
• There are no limits regarding the applicant’s age or the jewellery categories.
• Those already working in the trade must have been doing so for no more than a year.
• Each participant can enter only one finished piece of jewellery into the competition. Designs, drawings and unfinished items of jewellery, as well as jewellery sets (except a pair of earrings), cannot be considered.
• Applicants must have made the jewellery they submit themselves. No parts of the jewellery may have been designed or manufactured by third parties.
• Previous entrants for the GOLDENE NOVA may compete again for GOLDENE NOVA 2026 as long as they meet the above criteria. In such cases, the item of jewellery must be a new piece that conforms to the current theme.
• Those who belong to one of the companies exhibiting in the INOVA COLLECTION 2026 may enter as long as they meet the above criteria.

Place 1 – 10 

Thanks to the support of our partner VALORIMA – the jewellery insurance of the Mannheimer, all nominees will be perfectly showcased in the Award area of the GOLDEN NOVA: Each of the ten pieces of jewellery will be displayed in a high-quality presentation showcase during the INOVA COLLECTION 2026, ensuring optimal visibility among trade press, key industry representatives, and an interested professional audience!

A heartfelt thank you also goes to Parcel Broker. The business shipping partner for valuables organizes the free round-trip shipping of jewellery pieces for our emerging talents.

In addition, places 1 to 10 will be supported by professional product images from our partner scope Marketing.

Lastly, all nominees can look forward to media exposure: We will feature the best pieces of jewellery in our partner medium, Goldschmiede Zeitung, and on our website in detail.

1st place

€ 1,600  | CARL SCHAEFER GOLD AND SILVER REFINERY

The first place of the GOLDEN NOVA will be awarded by Carl Schaefer Gold and Silver Refinery with a precious metal account worth € 1,600. For over 160 years, Carl Schaefer has been one of the renowned refineries and is now a specialist in precious metal recycling, as well as a competent partner for industry, trade, and craftsmanship.

Additionally, Carl Schaefer invites the winner and the associated training company to take a behind-the-scenes look at the refinery!

2nd place

€ 1,200 | RUDOLF FLUME TECHNIK

The winner of second place can look forward to a shopping voucher from RUDOLF FLUME Technik worth € 1,200. As a wholesaler for watch and jewellery technology, RUDOLF FLUME Technik offers a broad portfolio of equipment and machines, watch and jewellery spare parts, tools, care and cleaning supplies, and much more.

In addition, FLUME will enable the runner-up to take part in a 2- to 4-hour electroplating workshop in Essen free of charge.

3rd place

€ 900 | HANDELSWAREN VERTRIEB SCHULZ – flexistrong

The third place will be awarded with a shopping voucher from Handelswaren Vertrieb Schulz – flexistrong worth € 900. The traditional company specialises in high-quality neck rings with double clip closure as well as fine cultured pearls and jewellery. For more than 50 years, the name Schulz has stood for reliable quality, careful craftsmanship and fast delivery.

Additionally, the winners of places 1 to 3 will once again receive a complimentary annual subscription to Goldschmiede Zeitung this year.

Audience Award

In addition to the jury award, our professional audience will vote for their favourite during the INOVA COLLECTION from August 28th to 30th, 2026.

The winner of the Audience Award will have the opportunity to present their work in a complimentary exhibition space at the INOVA COLLECTION 2027.

Furthermore, the winner of the Audience Award can look forward to a professional foto shoot by Studio Pixelgold worth € 600.

Malte Guttek
Director of the German Goldsmiths’ House | Managing Director of the Society for Goldsmithing 

Malte Guttek studied art history and Christian archaeology in Bonn and Rome. After completing a scholarly traineeship at the Kolumba Art Museum in Cologne, he worked as a freelance curator on various exhibition projects with a focus on applied arts. Since 2024, Malte Guttek has been Managing Director of the Gesellschaft für Goldschmiedekunst e.V., a non-profit organisation dedicated to the promotion of gold and silversmithing. He also heads the German Goldsmiths’ House in Hanau, one of the leading museums for international jewellery and object design.

Luzia Vogt
Goldsmith and product designer

Luzia Vogt is a trained goldsmith who studied jewellery and object design at the University of Pforzheim, in Halifax and in Tokyo. As a jewellery and product designer, she became self-employed in Basel and has since also been teaching in goldsmith training programmes in Lucerne, Bern and Basel, as well as holding teaching positions at the University of Liechtenstein and the University of Pforzheim. In 2018, she completed a Master’s degree in product design at Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts. Her work has received several awards, including the Swiss Federal Design Award and the Inhorgenta Innovation Award. Her pieces can be found in various collections in Switzerland and abroad, including the National Museum in Zurich, the Château Borély in Marseille and the Dallas Museum of Art.

Michael Jahr
Head of Gold- and Silversmiths’ Guild and Jewelers Frankfurt am Main

Michael Jahr completed his training as a goldsmith with Uhren Weiss in Rüsselsheim. After three years, he decided to further his education by training to become a state-certified jewellery designer in Idar-Oberstein. During his training, he also became a master goldsmith at the Chamber of Crafts in Koblenz. In July 1992, Michael Jahr turned to self-employment running his own goldsmith’s studio in Rüsselsheim. He is head of the guild Gold- und Silberschmiede-Innung sowie Juweliere in Frankfurt am Main. He has won the FBZ Ahlen international design competition and sat on the jury of the 16^th Hessian Design Prize.

Prof. Dr. Thomas Hensel
Chair of Art and Design Theory | Pforzheim University

Prof. Dr. Thomas Hensel studied philosophy, art history, classical archaeology and business management in Hamburg, Munich and Vallendar. He is a winner of the Aby M. Warburg Prize awarded by the Senate of the Free Hanseatic City of Hamburg. In 2013, he was appointed Professor of Art and Design Theory at the School of Design at the University of Pforzheim. He is also a member of the Faculty of Danube University Krems, Director of the Institute for Human Engineering & Empathic Design in Pforzheim (HEED) and exhibition curator. His main research areas are media history and the history of knowledge and science in art science (especially Aby Warburg), game studies, Old German painting and drawing (esp. Albrecht Dürer and the Danube School) and design history and theory (esp. Bauhaus and Ulm School of Design).

Axel Henselder
Editor-in-Chief of the goldsmiths’ newspaper, GZ Goldschmiede Zeitung

Axel Henselder is a qualified publisher and graduate in business administration who has been editor-in-chief of the leading industry journal, GZ Goldschmiede Zeitung, since 2004. As such, he has been a member of the jury panel or assessor for several well-known awards, including selections for the Talents Area at the Tendence trade fair in Frankfurt, the German Jewellery and Gemstone Prize in Idar-Oberstein and the Tahitian Pearl Trophy. He was previously responsible for special interest and trade titles at Frankfurt-based publishers Umschau Zeitschriftenverlag and for the corporate communication publications service at Hoechst AG.

1st Place

PIA KELLETER | ANNE ZIMMER SCHMUCK UND GALERIEN

I designed the entire jewellery piece such that the tourmaline stands in the centre – not just physically but also in terms of design and content. I consciously selected two different colours of stone to show the natural diversity of colour in the gemstone. This induces a tension between the two earrings that simultaneously indicates connection and contrast.

Through deliberate reflections, the tourmaline is mirrored in itself – its colour, structures and inclusions. Thus it requires no external ‘embellishment’ for its effect. Its very presence there makes it a piece of jewellery. The tourmaline is not only a part of the design but the centre from which the design emanates.

Echo | Earrings
925 silver | tourmaline (4.8 ct)

2nd Place

NELE FLEISCHER | LELOR

Thanks to two lateral fastenings and an integral sliding element, this necklace can be transmuted into two separate bracelets. The specially designed spring latches are constructed in such a way that they can be joined together in four different ways.

The tourmaline, positioned centrally and flexibly on a track, symbolises the unpredictable, which survives despite all of the compositional work. The gemstone itself, it is true, is polished by human hand, but unlike the metal alloy, its structure remains a natural unique specimen. It can be shaped but never totally controlled: therein lies its fascination. The tourmaline is the focus because in a unique way it makes visible the association between natural originality and human design.

Enoalin (Eno – “Ewigkeit” / Alin – “Turmalin”) | Necklace (can be devided into 2 braclets)
925 silver | 585 nickel white gold | tourmaline

3rd Place

MAXIMILIAN PRZYBYLKA | Hanau State Academy of Drawing

Every green tourmaline is a unique natural specimen – as individual as the wearers themselves. ‘Gelina’ combines this uniqueness with the silent beauty of ice and the warmth of summer – for a moment that lingers. This jewellery piece captures the lightness of a perfect summer’s day: the smile of the sun on the skin, the melting of a cold ice cube, the fragrance of blossom in the warm air. And in the midst of all this the green tourmaline, gleaming like a drop of molten happiness.

‘Gelina’ is an homage to the feeling of levity: to dreamt barefoot afternoons, to the sparkles in a glass of cold sorbet, to that single moment when everything appears light and easy.

Gelina | Necklace
925 silver | green tourmaline

AUDIENCE AWARD

ALICIA EIGENBRODT | Hanau State Academy of Drawing

This bracelet from the ‘Watermelon Tourmalines’ series unites hand-crafted refinement with playful movement: an elaborate pin fastening combined with a stud mechanism ensures secure fastening and a haptic experience.

Tourmaline is at the heart of the design – visually, haptically and conceptionally. The colourful nature of the watermelon tourmaline is the inspiration for the composition and determines the appearance of the piece. Both colour zoning and pleochroism are reflected. The structure of the grown crystal is not only referred to but comes alive. Hence the tourmaline becomes not simply the stone of choice but the idea itself.

Watermelon Turmaline | Bracelet
925 silver| tourmaline (total ca. 3.7 ct)