The selection arose from a full-day discussion that took place on 17 December at the Cieszyn Castle. The jury included a team from the Czech Republic – Filip Blažek and Linda Kudrnovská (Typo), from Slovakia – Marcel Benčík and Sylvia Jokelová (the 1977 organization), from Hungary – Zsolt Czakó and Krisztina Somogyi (Plusminus Visual Intelligence, Articsók Stúdió), from Poland – Czesława Frejlich, Wojtek Kubiena, Jacek Mrowczyk, Mariusz Sobczyński, and Kuba Sowiński (2+3D), and Ewa Gołębiowska (Cieszyn Castle). Anna Zabdyrska had an advisory vote, as the curator of the planned exhibition. This year had a record-breaking number of finalists: 40 works, 20 apiece from graphic and industrial design.

A few statistics. As a natural result of demographics, the most submissions came from Poland (197, including 140 2D designs, and 57 product designs); second in line was the Czech Republic (42 in total: 17 and 25 respectively),  then Slovakia (24; 13 and 11) and Hungary (21; 7 and 14). In sum, therefore, there were 185 graphic designs and 99 3D ones. 106 designs were BA projects, and 178 were MAs. BAs accounted for 14 of the final works chosen.

The competition continues to be an open review of BA and MA graduation projects in both graphic and industrial design. The verdict has never sought to classify. This year we have remained true to these rules, but we have also decided that each organizer should pick out one 2D and one 3D project which they acknowledge to be the most interesting (the “special distinctions” listed below).

Another novelty this year was the Internet voting system, which came prior to the sitting of the jury, and also allowed some Hungarian organizers who could not make it to Cieszyn to take part in the selection. 

The first review took place in 2002. Since then, the competition has evolved. The Cieszyn Castle joined the 2+3D editorial staff (2005), and since last year’s edition (2009/2010) the review has been international – the Czech and Slovak organizers began taking part. Hungary, the fourth Visegrad country, joined in this year.

Ten selected graduates also received job-training proposals.

Design Center Gdynia (certificates distributed by Ewa Cichosz)
1. Agnieszka Fujak – Poland
2.  Sebastian Spłuszka – Poland
3. Ondřej Elfmark – Czech Republic
4. Ľubica Segečová – Slovakia

Design Center Kielce (certificates distributed by Marek Cecuła) a month’s residency stay
1. Katarzyna Borkowska – Poland

Noti (certificates distributed by Ryszard Barcentkiewicz) institute scholarships
1. Jakub Marzoch – Poland
2. Andras Kerekgyarto – Hungary

Paged Meble (certificates distributed by Jadwiga Husarska Chmielarz – scholarship winner from two years previous)
1. Zuzanna Marhevkowa – Slovakia
2. Jan Godlewski – Poland

Cieszyn Castle (certificates distributed by Ewa Gołębiowska) participation in workshops
1. Marta Gawin – Poland