National Library of Scotland - home page NLS Bookbinding Competition 2003 - front page

The National Library of Scotland's Elizabeth Soutar Bookbinding Competition aims to encourage the practice and development of craft binding skills which display individual expression and originality. This international competition attracts entrants from all over continental Europe as well as from the UK - an indication of its ever-growing prestige. The winning entries join the Library's collection of fine bindings.

Competition entrants submit a 'craft binding' using materials of their own choice, on a publication on a subject and in a language of their own choice. In addition to assessing the quality of the craft skills applied, the judges look, in particular, for originality and expression in the cover design.

The winners of the 2003 competition are Jan Camps, for a binding on the book Le Galata (First Prize), and Berdien van Lieshout, who won Best Student Prize for a binding of Impressie.

Such was the high standard of the competition it was decided to commend bindings submitted by Victoria Roberts for her work on the book A Medieval Miscellany and Susanne Natterer for her binding of Oodgeroo Noonuccal-Stradbrokes Traumzeit.

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J Camps
S Natterer
B. Van Lieshout
V. Roberts