Gerrit Noordzij Prize
The Gerrit Noordzij Prize is given to type designers and typographers for extraordinary contributions to the fields of type design, typography and type education. The prize, initiated by Anno Fekkes during the 1996 ATypI conference in The Hague, is awarded every three years by the Royal Academy of Art in The Hague together with the Museum Meermanno, under the auspices of the Dr. P.A. Tiele Trust. The prize is named after Gerrit Noordzij, who was a professor of typeface design at the Royal Academy of Art. For the continuity of the prize, the Gerrit Noordzij Fund was created.
The award
By tradition, the award itself is designed by the previous winner. In addition to this, each time the prize is awarded, an exhibition about the work of the previous winner is organized, accompanied by a publication.Through the years, the jury has consisted of:
- Ada Lopes Cardozo.
- Erik Spiekermann
- Fred Smeijers
- Gerard Unger
- Gerrit Noordzij
- Jack Verduyn Lunel
- Leo Voogt
- Petr van Blokland
Laureates
- 1996: Gerrit Noordzij
- 2001: Fred Smeijers
- 2003: Erik Spiekermann
- 2006: Tobias Frere-Jones
- 2009: Wim Crouwel
- 2012: Karel Martens
- 2015: Cyrus Highsmith
Publications
Different books have been published about, in honor of, or presented at the exhibitions:- Ben Bos, Tony Brook, Tobias Frere-Jones, Karel Martens, David Quay: Wim Crouwel - Gerrit Noordzij Prize, The Hague.
- Dawn Barrett, David Berlow, Matthew Carter : Tobias Frere-Jones Gerrit Noordzij Prize Exhibition, Amsterdam.
- FontShop Benelux : e - Erik Spiekermann, The Hague/De Pinte.
- Fred Smeijers : Type now: a manifesto, plus work so far, London..
- Mathieu Lommen, Anno Fekkes, Jan Willem Stas : Het primaat van de pen: een workshop letterontwerpen met Gerrit Noordzij, The Hague.