Utrecht, 15 April 2024 - The winners of the annual Royal Jaarbeurs poster competition 2024 have been announced. From over 50 entries, Jonas van Son, a student at the Utrecht School of the Arts (HKU), was judged the winner by the jury. Second prize was won by Julia Penning and in third place was Dewi van der Meulen. There were incentive prizes for Rebecca Stroeven, Tobias Muller and Marileen Janssen. Every year, Royal Jaarbeurs organises a poster competition for HKU students. This year, the theme was linked to the campaign 'The world of Jaarbeurs'. Since 1917, Jaarbeurs has had a tradition of posters made by Dutch designers. To uphold this tradition, it annually asks up-and-coming Dutch designers from HKU to create a new annual poster.
Winning poster: HKU student designs colourful lifeline of Jaarbeurs
Jaarbeurs, in collaboration with HKU, challenged students to create a poster around the campaign 'The world of Jaarbeurs'. In this campaign, Jaarbeurs uses special stories from customers, visitors and employees to reflect the diversity of opportunities that Jaarbeurs offers. Esther Driessen, jury chairman and head of corporate communication at Royal Jaarbeurs: "We had the opportunity to judge fantastic entries from up-and-coming Dutch designers. Jonas van Son designed a colourful poster on which the life line of Jaarbeurs is entwined in different colours. The colours are synonymous with the stories of 'The World of Jaarbeurs'. The design forms a clear whole, so as far as we are concerned Jonas is a deserved winner." Jonas van Son: "To be allowed to stand here was already an honour, but to have won is absolutely fantastic." The winning poster will be displayed in various places inside and outside Jaarbeurs in the coming period.
Up-and-coming Dutch designers win prizes
The second prize was won by Julia Penning. Natalie Dubois, curator of applied art & design at Centraal Museum, impressed the jury member: "A beautiful graphic poster that leads to a beautiful whole. Because of the gradient use and light tones, a lot is happening, but it is still calm to look at." Third prize went to Dewi van der Meulen. "This illustrative poster is a bomb of creativity. Each letter represents a different story of the world of Jaarbeurs," says jury member Mark Westra, content marketer Royal Jaarbeurs.
Jitkse Hirs, HKU relationship manager, emphasises the good cooperation: "Jaarbeurs offers our talented students a wonderful stage. The cross-pollination between HKU's talent and our cooperation partner Jaarbeurs leads to great results again this year."
Incentive prizes: explosion of colours
The jury also awarded incentive prizes. Thus Rebecca Stroeven, Tobias Muller and Marileen Janssen were among the winners. Peter Roeleveld, winner HKU poster competition 2021, guided this edition: "The explosion of colours Rebecca Stroeven used for her poster with which she used old posters from past years makes us give her an incentive prize. Tobias Muller is also a deserved second winner of the incentive prize. In a playful illustrative manner, he perfectly depicted the theme 'The World of Jaarbeurs' in a globe. Marileen Janssen also designed a poster that is visually pleasing to look at. She also deserves a deserved incentive prize. Her poster shows the lifeline of Jaarbeurs well. There is no beginning and there is no end. A constantly changing path but with a vision that remains the same."
The jury of the Royal Jaarbeurs poster competition 2024 consisted of Natalie Dubois, curator applied art & design Centraal Museum, Esther Driessen, head of corporate communications Royal Jaarbeurs, Mark Westra, content marketer Royal Jaarbeurs and Roos van Laer, curator-in-training. The competition was supervised by the winner of the 2021 edition, Peter Roeleveld.
