CERAMICS AND STRATEGY MET AT THE HANTERRA COMPETITION

• The hanterra Ceramics Competition 2026, one of Türkiye's leading ceramics competitions organized by hanterra for the fifth time this year, has concluded. In the competition, which was created to encourage quality and original designs, the Achievement Award went to Ceren Demirel for her work titled "Embossed Chess Set".

The hanterra Ceramics Competition 2026 took place this year with the theme of "Chess Set," one of the most disciplined and multi-layered examples of functionality. The competition, which considers handmade ceramics not merely as a functional object but also in terms of the relationship it establishes with the user and the experience it offers, aims to highlight works that reinterpret functionality.

The winners were determined after meticulous evaluations by a jury composed of ceramic artists Lucy Baxendale, Şirin Koçak, Tuba Önder Demircioğlu, Zsolt Jozsef Simon, and chess coach Menderes Sargın. Here are the winners of the achievement and honorable mention awards, as well as those deemed worthy of exhibition:

Achievement Award: Ceren Demirel

Honorable Mention Awards: Aslı Törün Erbengi, Gülçin Kundakçı, Aliye Hande Ay

Exhibition Awards: Songül Adıyaman, Gülce Albayrak, Hilal Altıparmak, Çağla Çam, Aytül Çetin, Nur Cin Salkım, Tuğçe Dilber, Tülin Erdemir Cörüt, Derya Esen Koca, Sudem Gökdemir, Murat Kafesoğulları, Sibel Kamber Özen, Berk Kemiklioğlu, Başak Kolsal, Rabia Menteşe, Büşra Oktay Demir, Kaan Önen, Can Özyol, Pınar Polat, Ayşegül Şali, Şevval Şengül, Saime Taşkıran, Yasemin Tonbul Erkek, Duygu Üsküplü, Ali Onur Üzer, Zeynep Yiğit.

In a statement regarding the competition's vision, hanterra said, "For us, function in ceramics encompasses not only 'what it does' but also the experience it offers and how it interacts with the user. This year, with the theme of chess, we invited participants to reconsider this. As hanterra, we aim to continue exploring the functional areas of ceramics together and bringing new perspectives to the production language of ceramic art."

The award ceremony was held on April 11th in the Jean D'Arc Hall of the Private Saint Michel High School. The exhibition of the competition, which was realized with the support of Sibelco Deutschland GmbH, Colorobbia Art, Valentine Clays, Özmak Engineering (manufacturer of Mars kilns), and the Chess Academy, was open to visitors from April 12th to 25th, 2026.