THE GOLDEN NOVA 2026

Place 1 – 10 

Thanks to the support of our partner VALORIMA – the jewellery insurance of the Mannheimer, all nominees were perfectly showcased in the Award area of the GOLDEN NOVA: Each of the ten pieces of jewellery was 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 organised the free round-trip shipping of jewellery pieces for our emerging talents.

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

Lastly, all nominees enjoyed media exposure: We featured 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 was 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 received 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 was 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 once again received a complimentary annual subscription to Goldschmiede Zeitung this year.

Audience Award

In addition to the jury award, our professional audience voted 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 photo shoot by 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.

• 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.