Design contest for the rector’s chain of office, medals and badge of distinction of the University of Tartu

27.09.2018
The University of Tartu announces a design contest for the design of the rector’s chain of office, the medals (grand medal, medal, medal of the honorary doctor, medal of the honorary fellow, Skytte medal) and the badge of distinction of the university.
General principles of the design of the chain of office of the rector, medals and badge of distinction:
  • the chain of office, medals and badge of distinction correspond to the sources of identity of the University of Tartu;
  • the design withstands the test of time;
  • the rector’s chain of office, the grand medal, the medal, and the badge of distinction form a stylistically uniform set;
  • the facade or the portal of the university’s main building as a generally known symbol, the text “UNIVERSITAS TARTUENSIS” and the year of founding the university 1632 are used as central design elements;
  • the design of medals and the badge of distinction expresses the principles laid down in the statutes of these awards;
  • the material of the chain of office, medals and the badge of distinction must comply with their intrinsic value.
Basics of the design of the rector’s chain of office:
  • the design stems from the symbols that reflect the university and its academic spirit, and not from the current structure of the university;
  • the basic material of the chain of office is silver; in addition, other materials can be used.
Basic parts of the rector’s chain of office:
  • front central element;
  • side chains;
  • support chain (on the back of the neck);
  • central element on the back.
Dimensions of the rector’s chain of office:
  • length (total for front and back) up to 60 cm; possibility to shorten or lengthen by a few centimetres;
  • width of side chain at least 3 cm, in proportion to the size of the central element;
  • length of support chain 16–19 cm.
The design of the rector’s chain of office, medals and badge of distinction of the university must be submitted as a set of seven designs. Submission deadline is 30 January 2019.
Please submit your entry and the price quotation for realisation of the designs in an envelope marked with a unique title/word to the academic secretary of the University of Tartu, Ülikooli 18–138, 50090 Tartu. The author’s name should be supplied in a separate sealed envelope.
Entries must be presented in two-dimensional design, scale 1 : 1, showing depth and thickness, as well as materials used. If requested, digital images of the designs may be enclosed.
Winners will be chosen by a committee comprising the rector of the University of Tartu, Professor Juhan Maiste, Professor Kadri Mälk, Lecturer Eilve Manglus and a representative of students.
The prize fund for the selected designs is 10,000 euros; the committee will decide the distribution of the amount between the winning entries.
The university will make an agreement with the author(s) of the winning designs for making the rector’s chain of office and medals.
The deadline for handing the rector’s chain of office and the medals over to the university on 1 October 2019.
 
Further information:
Andres Soosaar
Academic Secretary of the University of Tartu
737 5605