L’Oro del Vasaio 37° Edizione | 3° Trofeo Gino Geminiani | 17° Trofeo Alteo Dolcini | 8° Trofeo Pier Domenico Bandini
REGISTRATION ↑
Registration is free and can be completed online through the registration form.
Registrations must be submitted no later than 12.00 noon on Saturday, 5 September 2026. For organisational reasons, however, we kindly ask you to submit your registration by 25 August 2026.
PROGRAMME ↑
The event will take place in Faenza, in Piazza della Libertà, on 5 and 6 September 2026.
Saturday, 5 September 2026 – Participants Check-in
09:00-12:00 Check-in at the registration desk in Piazza della Libertà
Competitors must collect their bib number and official T-shirt, which must be worn during the competition.
Collecting the bib number confirms the registration. After check-in closes, any unclaimed places will be offered to competitors on the waiting list.
Saturday, 5 September 2026 – World Aesthetic Championship, Master Men and Master Women “Work of Aesthetic Value”
14:30 Competitors’ call time
15:00 Competition starts
18:00 Competition ends
18:30 Jury scoring
Saturday, 5 September 2026 – Special Blindfolded Potters Performance
18:30 Competitors’ call time
19:00 “Io, il tornio e lo scuro – The Potter’s Wheel in the Dark” (non-competitive performance), in collaboration with Cibas Impasti
21:00 End of the performance
Followed by the Potter’s Dinner
Sunday, 6 September 2026 – World Technical Championship, Master Men and Master Women
08:00 Competitors’ call time
08:30 Qualifying rounds begin
13:30 End of the qualifying rounds
14:30 Finalists’ call time
15:00 Finals
18:00 Award ceremony
RULES ↑
Art. 1 – VENUE AND DATES OF THE EVENT
The event will take place in Faenza, in Piazza della Libertà, on 5 and 6 September 2026.
Art. 2 – PARTICIPANTS
The event is open to potters of any nationality who submit their participation request as indicated in Art. 8.
Maximum number of registrations: 80.
Minimum age: participants must be at least 16 years old on the opening date of the competition. Participants born up to and including 04/09/2010 are eligible. Minors must submit a release form signed by a parent or legal guardian.
Art. 3 – TITLES
World Technical Champion, Master Men
The title will be awarded to the potter who achieves the best overall result by adding together the results of the final rounds in:
Making the tallest cylinder.
Making the widest bowl.
According to the procedures described in Art. 4.
World Technical Champion, Master Women
The title will be awarded to the female potter who achieves the best overall result by adding together the results of the final rounds in:
Making the tallest cylinder.
Making the widest bowl.
According to the procedures described in Art. 4.
World Aesthetic Champion, Master Men “Work of Aesthetic Value”
The title will be awarded to the potter whose work is judged by the Jury to be the most deserving, according to the procedures described in Art. 4.
World Aesthetic Champion, Master Women “Work of Aesthetic Value”
The title will be awarded to the female potter whose work is judged by the Jury to be the most deserving, according to the procedures described in Art. 4.
Special Youth Award
The award will be assigned to the potter, male or female, aged between 16 and 21 on the opening date of the event, namely those born between 04/09/2005 and 04/09/2010, who achieves the best results in the technical tests of:
Making the tallest cylinder.
Making the widest bowl.
Art. 4 – PROCEDURES FOR CARRYING OUT THE TESTS
All technical and aesthetic tests must be carried out on the potter’s wheels provided by the Organisation. All other tools, such as steel wire, spatulas, ribs, sponges, etc., must be brought by the participants.
Participants are strictly forbidden from making any mechanical intervention on the potter’s wheels. Any interventions, if required, may be carried out exclusively by members of the Organisation.
Participants may apply supports to the assigned potter’s wheel, provided that they are removed at the end of the test.
The clay provided by the Organisation will be the same type for all competitors. The clay will be weighed by the Organisation, publicly checked and then assigned to the competitor, who may either work it further or place it directly on the wheel head. No clay may be used other than the weighed clay: only one weighed portion may be used.
Tests for the World Technical Champion, Master Men and Master Women
Before the technical tests, the clay weight will be drawn from 6 kg, 7.5 kg and 9 kg.
Tallest cylinder: the test consists of throwing, in a single piece, the tallest possible cylindrical object using the quantity of clay provided by the Organisation. The minimum diameter is set at 16 cm.
Widest bowl: the test consists of throwing, in a single piece, the widest possible object using the quantity of clay provided by the Organisation, starting from a base no larger than the diameter of the wheel head.
For the two tests described above, the maximum time is 20 minutes for the qualifying rounds and 30 minutes for the finals.
Each piece must be cut from the wheel by the competitor using the appropriate wire, without damaging or piercing the base of the object in contact with the wheel head. Failure to do so will result in the cancellation of the measurement obtained.
Tests for the World Aesthetic Champion, Master Men and Master Women “Work of Aesthetic Value”
Each participant will be assigned 6 kg of clay, to be used for all stages of the work. The works are left to the free creativity of the competitors. The throwing time is set at 20 minutes. Afterwards, only the competitor may make aesthetic additions or refinements to the work: during this stage, no tools are allowed except ribs; pressure containers and a small rotating banding wheel may also be used. Any other equipment is prohibited. This second stage has a maximum duration of 20 minutes, starting from the end of the time allowed for wheel work.
The works must be signed and will remain the property of Mondial Tornianti Gino Geminiani APS.
Art. 5 – METHODS FOR AWARDING THE TITLES
World Technical Champion, Master Men and Master Women
The first ten ranked potters in each category, Master Men and Master Women, will take part in the finals of the World Technical Championship.
The ranking will be drawn up according to the following criteria. For the individual tests:
- For the cylinder: only cylinders with a diameter equal to or greater than 16 cm will be admitted to the competition. The diameter will be measured from the base along the entire height of the cylinder. The height will be measured only once, from the wheel head to the top of the cylinder.
- For the bowl: two diameter measurements will be taken. For scoring purposes, only the lower measurement will be considered.
For the awarding of the title, the final result will be determined by adding together the millimetre measurements of the “cylinder” and “bowl” works.
In the event of a tie, competitors will be asked to repeat the two tests within a shorter time determined by the Organisation.
World Aesthetic Champion, Master Men and Master Women “Work of Aesthetic Value”
Each potter may register for the test as indicated in the registration form. The test will be judged by the Jury according to aesthetic, technical and artistic criteria.
Art. 6 – PRIZES AND AWARDS
The following prizes will be awarded:
World Technical Champion, Master Men
1st place:
2nd place:
3rd place:
World Technical Champion, Master Women
1st place:
2nd place:
3rd place:
World Aesthetic Champion, Master Men “Work of Aesthetic Value”
1st place:
2nd place:
3rd place:
World Aesthetic Champion, Master Women “Work of Aesthetic Value”
1st place:
2nd place:
3rd place:
Special Youth Award
1st place: prize offered by the Ballardini Institute Former Students Association, Faenza.
Two Special Blindfolded Potters Awards
Prize consisting of local products offered by the Mondial Tornianti Gino Geminiani Association.
Lifetime Achievement Award for Master Potter
Ceramic work by Bente Hansen Brosbøl.
Potter Award – 6th edition
The Jury and the Organisation may establish further special prizes, which will be announced at the award ceremony.
All participants will receive a certificate of participation.
Art. 7 – JURY AND ORGANISATION
The Jury will be composed of cultural figures and technical experts in the field appointed by the MIC Faenza Foundation and Mondial Tornianti Gino Geminiani APS, with the task of judging the works of the World Aesthetic Championship, Master Men and Master Women, “Work of Aesthetic Value”.
The Organisation is made up of members of the Technical Organising Committee of the event. Any complaints must be submitted in writing to the Organisation, at the event secretariat, no later than 15 minutes after the end of the disputed competition. The decision of the Organisation and the Jury, for all types of competition, is immediate and final. The Organisation reserves the right to make changes to these rules should particular circumstances arise, promptly informing the competitors.
Art. 8 – PARTICIPATION PROCEDURE
Registrations are free and may be submitted by post, email, fax or delivered directly to the Organising Secretariat at the following address:
MONDIAL TORNIANTI GINO GEMINIANI APS
Via Nuova 37 n
48018 Faenza (Ravenna) ITALY
Tel +393355611621
Email info@mtgg.it
Registrations must be received no later than 12.00 noon on Saturday, 5 September 2026.
The competitions will start according to the programme.
Competitors must report to the Secretariat as follows:
Saturday, 5 September 2026 at 2.00 p.m. for the World Aesthetic Championship, Master Men and Master Women, “Work of Aesthetic Value”.
Sunday, 6 September 2026 at 8.00 a.m. for the qualifying rounds and at 2.00 p.m. for the finals of the World Technical Championship, Master Men and Master Women.
NOTE
Any changes or additions to these rules will be promptly communicated by the organisers to those who have submitted an application and through the official communication channels.
Special blindfolded potters performance
Io, il tornio e lo scuro — The Potter’s Wheel in the Dark (non-competitive performance)
Saturday, 5 September 2026, 8.00 p.m., Piazza della Libertà
The non-competitive event/performance “Io il Tornio e lo Scuro – Throw in the Dark” is organised by Ente Ceramica Faenza and the Municipality of Faenza in collaboration with Cibas Impasti.
The event aims to highlight the potential of ceramics as a means for developing playful, educational and therapeutic activities in the fields of sensory, artistic and communication skills.
“Io il Tornio e lo Scuro – Throw in the Dark” offers the opportunity to experience the creation of an object while blindfolded, relying only on imaginative memory: the deepest and most hidden part of the mind where ideas take shape. It is a journey into the hidden and little-known side of our growth process, which accompanies us in every action of our lives.
The master potters will take on this demanding exercise by working out the proportions of an object without being able to see it, using only the “measurements” perceived through touch and their hands, starting from clay and relying exclusively on their hands, their intuition and the ancient tool of the potter’s wheel.
Participation is free, subject to availability. Interest in taking part may be indicated on the registration form.
The Organisation reserves the right to make changes to these rules should particular circumstances arise, promptly informing the competitors.