They Opened a Window to Art
The KUBIKUM Foundation has successfully concluded the fourth edition of the Czech-Slovak art competition START21ART. Students embraced the theme “Window” with remarkable creativity, producing 132 original competition artworks.
This edition of the competition was announced on 23 September 2024 and involved 15 secondary schools from Slovakia and 14 schools from the Czech Republic. Of the students nominated by their schools, 132 talented young artists fulfilled the competition requirements. The theme “WINDOW” inspired them to create original artistic interpretations from a variety of perspectives.
The competition works, created exclusively for the 4th edition of START21ART, were traditionally evaluated in two stages. First, the works were assessed separately in the Czech Republic and Slovakia, resulting in 42 finalist artworks (TOP21CZ and TOP21SK). In the second stage, the finalists were evaluated by a joint Czech-Slovak jury composed of renowned experts and school representatives, who selected the winners of the fourth edition of the competition. A new feature introduced this year was the special ONLINE STAR award, the winner of which was chosen by the public through a Facebook vote.
One of the unique aspects of the competition is the opportunity for a public online auction, through which all competition artworks were made available via the KUBIKUM register. A total of 36 artworks were auctioned, and 80% of the proceeds were paid directly to the artists to support their further artistic development. As in previous years, the KUBIKUM Foundation also provided financial and non-financial prizes with a total value exceeding EUR 15,000.
In April, we officially concluded the fourth edition of the competition with a ceremonial award presentation held at the Dubná Skala Hotel in Žilina. At the same time, we enthusiastically began preparations for the upcoming milestone event, the exceptional 5th anniversary edition, which we are very much looking forward to.
START21ART is more than just a competition. It is a gateway to the professional art world. It demonstrates that talent and determination can open new opportunities. We believe it will continue to motivate, inspire, and push the boundaries of artistic expression in the years to come.