Results of the public anonymous competition for the design of a gold 100-euro collector coin to commemorate the 1150 anniversary of the death of Pribina – the Prince of Nitra

First prize
akad. soch. Ivan Řehák

Second prize
Mária Poldaufová

Third prize
Miroslav Rónai

In September 2010, Národná banka Slovenska announced a public anonymous competition for the design of a gold 100-euro collector coin which will be issued to commemorate the 1150th anniversary of the death of Pribina – the Prince of Nitra. Twenty designs by nineteen designers were entered in the competition. In February 2011, the entries were judged by the NBS Governor´s Committee for the Assessment of Designs for Slovak Euro Coins, with expert advice provided by PhDr. Karol Pieta, DrSc, a representative from the Archeological Institute of the Slovak Academy of Sciences and Mgr. Ján Steinhübel, CSc. from the Historical Institute of the Slovak Academy of Sciences.

The design approved for the coin was made by academic sculptor Ivan Řehák who was awarded the first prize. The Committee appreciated a modern artistic expression and an inventive composition with outlines of historical realia on both sides of the coin. The design impressed the Committee by a remarkable relief elaboration of an aerial perspective view of the Nitra castle situated on an outline of a bell – an old Christian symbol. The depicted bell comes from an important archeological site in Bojná and it is dated back to the 9th century, which is the period of Prince Pribina’s reign. The outline of the ruler on the reverse side symbolises the fact that his particular appearance remains unknown, and it is appropriately completed with a fragment of a gilded plaquette from a portable altar which also comes from the archeological site in Bojná.

The design by Mária Poldaufová was awarded the second prize. The Committee highlighted an excellent shaping and modern artistic expression used by the author to capture this specific historic theme. The main motif of the obverse side is the view of the Nitra castle and the depiction of the fragment of the gilded plaquette from the archeological site in Bojná. A fictitious portrait of the ruler on the obverse was stylized into a shape of a Patriarchal cross – a symbol of the future Slovak statehood.

The design by Miroslav Rónai was awarded the third prize. His classical artistic design impressed the Committee with its high professional level and quality of shaping the details. The obverse depicts the Slavic fortress and the castle of Nitra. On both alternatives of the reverse, there is a fictitious portrait of Pribina – the Prince of Nitra which is completed with a sword and archaeological finds in Bojná.