History
Recognised today as one of the world’s most important jewellery design competitions, the HRD Award competition was launched in 1984 as the “Antwerp Diamond High Council Awards,” with the aim of enhancing creativity and design excellence in contemporary diamond jewellery in Belgium.
In 1988 the contest became biennial and brought along another innovation, and that was the selection of a theme around which the contestants would base their design.
HRD Awards 2011
You and Me – Toi et Moi – Jij en Ik, the theme of the 14th edition of the HRD Awards. The competition, organized for the first time by HRD Antwerp, set a new record as there were 1396 entries by 654 designers from 55 countries. The inauguration and prize awarding ceremony show took place in Shanghai. “You and Me” symbolises every possible facet of dualism. Two elements that are irreversibly intertwined, sometimes complementary, sometimes in contradiction.
HRD Awards 2009
The 13th edition of the HRD Awards contest centred upon “Once upon a time… my favourite fairy tale.” Designers were invited to delve into the world of fantasy and legend, producing jewellery pieces that conjured up fairies, goblins, elves, trolls, witches and magical princesses. The international nature of the contest ensured that the variety of source material was broad and multi-cultural.
HRD Awards 2007
The HRD Awards 2007 took both a theatrical and musical turn, with its theme being “A Night at the Opera.” Its spectacular awards ceremony featured a bevy of divas, and a selection of laureates, who had been inspired by a range of operatic works from Puccini’s Madame Butterfly to The Magic Flute by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.
HRD Awards 2005
The HRD Awards 2005 theme “Diamonds Are Fun,” was revealed at a fashion show at the 2004 Basel World, Switzerland. The show ended with a group of colourfully dressed models marching onto the stage carrying balloons, to reflect the theme of the 2005 contest.
HRD Awards 2003
In 2003 the contest went international, and immediately drew hundreds of entries from 35 countries. In reaching out to the international jewellery design community, the AWDC wanted to focus on the creation of unique and original items of jewellery, where the emphasis is on diamonds and the design is characterised by creativity, originality and ingenuity. The success of this new concept became clear from the more than 900 submitted jewellery designs. The central theme was “Movement(s)”.