Results of the public competition for the design of a €10 silver collector coin commemorating the 200th anniversary of the first time a steamer sailed on the Danube River in Bratislava

First prize and the design selected for the coin
Zbyněk Fojtů

Third prize
Karol Ličko

Third prize
Imrich Svitana

In March 2017 Národná banka Slovenska (NBS) announced a public competition for the design of a €10 silver collector coin commemorating the 200th anniversary of the first sailing of a steamer on the Danube River in Bratislava. A total of nine designs by eight designers were entered in the competition. In May 2017 the designs were evaluated anonymously by the Committee for the Assessment of Commemorative and Collector Coin Designs. The Committee was assisted in its task by two expert advisers: Ľubica Kázmerová, from the Institute of History of the Slovak Academy of Sciences, and Erich Píš, from the Bratislava Transport Museum (a branch of the Slovak Technical Museum).

At the Committee’s recommendation, the NBS Bank Board awarded first prize to a design by Zbyňěk Fojtů and approved it as the design for the coin. The Committee considered both the obverse and reverse sides of this design to be the best in terms of artistry and content. The obverse features a detailed depiction of steamship technology, while the reverse shows, in the upper part, a well-chosen period view of Bratislava and, in the lower part, an above view of the steamer, named Carolina. The design does exceptionally well to capture the connection between the technical and historical aspects of the assigned theme.

No second prize was awarded.

Two third prizes were awarded, including one for a design by Karol Ličko, which the Committee praised for its artistry and content. The obverse depicts a panoramic period view of Bratislava from the Petržalka bank of the Danube River, where there are some people in 19th century dress. The reverse shows an above view of the steamer.

The other third prize went to Imrich Svitana’s design, which on the obverse features a period view of Bratislava and ripples representing the surface of the Danube River. The reverse is filled with an accurate depiction of the steamer. The designer’s minimalist approach in depicting the theme is an interesting feature.

A design by Kliment Mitura was awarded a special prize in recognition of its high quality.