Each year, the competition funded by the grant from the Vordemberge-Gildewart Foundation in Switzerland takes place in different countries. In 2011 MOCAK organised its first Polish edition, with the participation of 15 artists. Their works were presented in the exhibition Award of the Vordemberge-Gildewart Foundation. From amongst them, the international jury, appointed by the Foundation’s Council, selected three winners: the first prize (20 000 Swiss francs) went to Anna Okrasko, and two distinctions (of 10 000 Swiss francs each) – to Róża Litwa and Jan Dziaczkowski.

In 2018, MOCAK has again been honoured to be invited to present another edition of the grant competition. In order to ensure the most objective selection possible, we have asked the most important institutions that represent contemporary art in Poland to recommend interesting young artists. These institutions are: Arsenał Gallery in Białystok, BWA Gallery in Bielsko, Kronika Gallery in Bytom, Municipal Gallery in Gdańsk, BWA Katowice, Bunkier Sztuki Gallery in Krakow, Galeria Labirynt in Lublin, Muzeum Sztuki in Łódź, Centre of Polish Sculpture in Orońsko, Arsenal Municipal Gallery in Poznań, TRAFO Center for Contemporary Art in Szczecin, BWA Tarnów, Zachęta – National Gallery of Art in Warsaw, Museum of Modern Art in Warsaw, BWA Wrocław, WRO Art Center in Wrocław and BWA Zielona Góra. As a result, 16 artists have been selected to take part in the Award of the Vordemberge-Gildewart Foundation 2018 exhibition. On 28th June during a press conference at MOCAK the winners of the stipend competition of the Vordemberge-Gildewart Foundation were announced.

The winner of the main award of 40,000 Swiss francs (approx. 151,000 złoty) was Diana Lelonek. Maciej Cholewa and Małgorzata Goliszewska were awarded distinctions of 15,000 Swiss francs (approx. 56,000 złoty) each.

The Vordemberge-Gildewart Foundation began its activity in 1981 on the initiative of Ilse Vordemberge-Leda. The Foundation continues to fulfil her last will, an outcome of her many years spent with the artist Friedrich Vordemberge-Gildewart. The statutory aim of the institution is to provide support for artists under 35. The jury grants to the winning artist an award that is sufficient to subsidise his or her artistic activity for approximately two years. The task of the curator invited by the Foundation is to organise the exhibition of the selected artists and present their portfolios.