The “Young Designers Corner” as a career springboard

Jun 6, 2023

Since 2012, the Young Designers Corner jewelry competition (YDC) has been held annually as part of Gemworld Munich and will take place for the 10th time in 2023.

The YDC jewelry competition offers young, dedicated talents the opportunity to present themselves to the industry on an international stage and demonstrate their skills. Many former participants have since established themselves as successful jewelry designers in renowned companies in the industry or launched their own collections. Thus, previous winners include talented designers such as Jasmina Jovy, Eliana Petsch, Cecilia Accardo and many more.

(Bangle, Josef Kammerlander, 2019)

Christoph Keilmann, managing director of the Munich Show and Gemworld Munich, is enthusiastic about the development of the former participants. He emphasizes that the many success stories confirm the high quality of the competition and its international appeal. The “Young Designers Corner” has become a permanent fixture in the European jewelry industry.

(Brooch, Laura Herrlich, 2021)

Guido Grohmann, Managing Director of the German Jewelry, Watches, Silverware and Related Industries Association and a long-standing jury member of the jewelry competition, also praises the quality of the objects submitted. The contact with the young up-and-coming designers is exciting and inspiring every year, he said. The jewelry pieces shown impress with their high level of technical as well as design quality.

The closing date for entries to the Young Designers Corner 2023 is July 31, 2023. Once the application period is over, a jury of experts will select eight finalists who will be able to present their creations to the trade public at the Munich Show from October 26 to 29.

All information on the competition and the application documents can be found on the Munich Show website at https://munichshow.de/zeigt-uns-was-ihr-koennt/.

Previous award winners:

2012: Miriam Dreher

Miriam Dreher has developed her own successful jewelry collection with her innovative designs and keen sense of materials and colors. (www.mirjamdreher.de)


2013:Katerina Chrysou

Katerina Chrysou is known for her unique jewelry pieces that stand out with their playful and imaginative design, highlighting the creativity of the wearer. (www.facebook.com/kc.katdog)


2014: Cecilia Accardo

(https://ceciliaaccardo.it): Cecilia Accardo stands for exceptional jewelry pieces that impress with their perfect craftsmanship and experimental approach.


2015: Katerina Pimenidu

Katerina Pimenidu inspires with her delicate jewelry creations that captivate with their clean lines and minimalist style. (www.katerinapimenidu.com)


2016: Eliana Petsch

Eliana Petsch has made a name for herself as a jewelry designer with a special preference for organic shapes and natural materials.

2017: Julia Bergmann

Julia Bergmann convinces with handmade jewelry that captivates with refined details and a harmonious combination of materials and colors. (www.juliabergmannschmuckgestaltung.com)

2018: Sonja Pibernat

Sonja Pibernat creates jewelry pieces that create a unique connection to nature through their organic shapes and use of natural materials. (soniapibernat.com)

2019: Josef Kammerlander

The winning piece impressed the jury with its customizability. His arm creation can be customized to the wearer’s taste by adding flowers as desired.

2021: George Papailiou

George Papailiou has made a name for himself with his brand “MiNiMalByGeorge” and impresses with minimalist jewelry design that combines elegance and modernity. (www.etsy.com/ie/shop/MiNiMalByGeorge)

Please find all information on this years Young Designers corner award as well as application forms here