World Award of Monotheistic Religions

The World Award of Monotheistic Religions has been designed with the objectives of strengthening the monotheistic approach toward religions and emphasizing the rich potentials of art to express the teachings of the prophets. Organized in the year that has been named as the Year of the Holy Prophet, entry calls for participation in the First International Poster Competition of the World Award were sent out on April 16, 2006, the birth anniversary of Prophet Mohammad (PBUH).

In late April, the secretariat of the World Award started to survey the backgrounds of hundreds of local and foreign artists and sent them invitations to participate in the event, aiming to encourage them to use their art to express religious teachings (monotheism, prayer, peace and reconciliation).

As a result of their endeavors, 566 artists from 25 nations (Germany, Finland, Azerbaijan, United Arab Emirates, United States of America, Ukraine, Iran, Bulgaria, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Turkey, Japan, Russia, Czech Republic, China, Croatia, Republic of Korea, Switzerland, Georgia, Poland, Lithuania, Singapore, Serbia, France, Mexico and India) applied for participation in the competition with 917 works.

After the application deadline on September 30, the competition’s selection committee met three times to evaluate the submitted works. In the first round of evaluation, the judges used the elimination system and then proceeded to vote on the better works during the rounds two and three. At the end of the month of Ramadan (October 24) and on Eid al-Fitr, the committee finally and unanimously announced the top 40 works for the competition.

The schedule of the World Award of Monotheistic Religions includes two sections of exhibition and sideline events. In addition to the 40 competing posters, the exhibition section will present an exhibition of 50 works by the judges, an exhibition of the works of the prominent Polish graphic designer Mieczyslaw Wasilewski, an exhibition of 40 holy motifs (illumination and decoration of Holy Books by Iranians), also 93 of the submitted works who had won at least one judge’s vote. Sideline events will include a seminar on the illumination of the Holy Books and illustration of the teachings of prophets, and a screening of films dealing with the themes of spirituality, prayer and the history of religions titled “The Way of the Mirror”.

The secretariat of the World Award will also hold a specialized training workshop on sketching and graphics for 20 young art students. The workshop will be presided over by Mieczyslaw Wasilewski during the final days of the exhibitions.

I am grateful to God Almighty for granting me the opportunity to carry out this worthy mission. I am also thankful to the World Awards Secretary Mr. Mohammad Mahdi Asgarpour for his trust and encouragement, without which this event would not be launched.

I would also like to express my sincere thanks to the prominent Iranian graphic artist Ebrahim Haghighi, who modestly accepted to act as the Artistic Director of the World Award. Special thanks are also due to the distinguished members of the selection committee and the jury. May God grant greater success and good fortune to all these treasures of our country.