Results of the public competition for the design of a €10 silver collector coin commemorating the 100th anniversary of the Slovak National Theatre

First prize and the design selected for the coin
Peter Valach

In November 2018, Národná banka Slovenska (NBS) announced a public competition for the design of a €10 silver collector coin commemorating the 100th anniversary of the Slovak National Theatre.

A total of ten designs by ten designers were entered in the competition. In February 2019 the designs were evaluated anonymously by NBS’s Committee for the Assessment of Commemorative and Collector Coin Designs. The Committee was assisted in its task by two expert advisers: Dr Jana Laslavíková from the Institute of History of the Slovak Academy of Sciences, and Izabela Pažítková from the Slovak National Theatre.

On the Committee’s recommendation, the first prize was awarded to a design by Peter Valach, and this design was approved for the coin. No second or third prizes were awarded.

In its evaluation of the winning design, the Committee noted how clearly it captured the theme. The obverse depicts the facade of the original historical building of the Slovak National Theatre, while the reverse centres on the well-established and widely recognised logo of the Slovak National Theatre, here enclosed within a square frame. Both the obverse and reverse compositions are imbued with a certain stillness, giving an overall impression that is understated and balanced.

Additional prizes were awarded to Ivan Řehák, Barbora Houfová and Radek Houf (jointly), Miroslav Rónai, Kliment Mitura, and Michal Gavula in recognition of the high quality of their designs.