Amazing response to Icelandic horse art contest

An incredible number of artwork – 465! – were entered in an international art contest on the Icelandic horse, organised by IPZV, the German Icelandic horse association, in cooperation with Horses of Iceland and the Embassy of Iceland in Berlin.

“It was remarkable to observe all these artwork flowing in. Each and every one is unique and incredibly beautiful! The jury has a tough job choosing the winners. It was an enjoyable collaboration with the German Icelandic horse association and the Embassy of Iceland in Berlin and I’m looking forward to a future collaboration,” says Jelena Ohm, HOI project manager.

People could compete in three age categories (adults, teenagers and children) and had four months to submit a sketch, painting or an image by any other technique of the Icelandic horse and/or Icelandic nature. The artwork started arriving as soon as the competition was launched and when the deadline expired on 30 July, 465 images had been submitted; 300 by adults, 104 by teenagers and 61 by children.

Participants came from 16 different countries: Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Germany, the Netherlands, France, Austria, Switzerland, England, Scotland, the USA, Russia, Australia and New Zealand.

In addition to HOI and the Embassy of Iceland in Berlin, the competition is supported by FEIF and Guðmundur Guðmundsson, head coach of MTV Melsungen and the Icelandic men’s national handball team, serves as its patron.

Last March – when the corona virus pandemic was at its height and it became clear that the International Day of the Icelandic Horse couldn’t be held on 1 May as usual – the decision was made to launch an international art competition instead and give horse lovers the opportunity to do something creative and positive.

The jury has five members, including representatives from IPZV, FEIF, the Embassy of Iceland and the German art community. The jury held its second (remote) meeting on 18 August where four artwork for each category were chosen. The jury will next determine who gets 1^st to 4^th place in each category and contact the winners.

The award ceremony will be held at the Embassy of Iceland in Berlin on 11 September and, at the same occasion, an art exhibition with artwork from the competition will open in the embassy. The artwork will also be displayed online on IPZV’s website (ipzv.de). The top 12 photos will be published in IPZV’s calendar for 2021 and all participants will receive a copy.

The prizes – courtesy of the competition’s sponsors – are quite grand. The main prize is a gift certificate with Icelandair worth almost EUR 450 (sponsored by HOI) and an eight-day riding tour with Eldhestar in Iceland! Participants can also win a night at Hotel Rangá, riding gear and clothing, Icelandic lamb and lots of other prizes.

HOI would like to thank everyone who participated in the contest.

On the day following the award ceremony, 12 September, the International Day of the Icelandic Horse will be celebrated. Instead of lots of events and open stables throughout the Icelandic horse world, HOI will launch a photo competition tomorrow, 1 September. Stay tuned!

Text: Eygló Svala Arnarsdóttir. Photos: A selection of submitted artwork.