The Prix Godecharle (), also known in English as the Godecharle Prize or the Godecharle Contest, is a contest for art students, the winners of which are granted a scholarship allocated by the Godecharle Foundation. The prize allows young talents, unknown before the award, to become recognized by a panel of experts made up of famous artists. The conditions for participation are that contestants are less than 35 years old, of Belgian nationality, or members of a country of the European Community who have lived in Belgium for at least five years. The renown of the contest is based, amongst other things, upon the reputation of the artists who sit on the jury.

Napoléon Godecharle created the Godecharle Foundation on 15 March 1871 in remembrance of his father, the prominent sculptor Gilles-Lambert Godecharle, with the aim of promoting the education and the career of young Belgian artists, either sculptors, painters or architects. To this end, the Prix Godecharle is organized by the foundation every other year. The foundation has entrusted a provincial board, the so-called Commission Provinciale des Fondations de bourses d’études du Brabant, with the management of the contest and the follow-up exhibitions of the works of participants. The Godecharle bursaries are allocated by this board, on proposals made up by the jury of renowned artists.

The contest The first contest was organized in 1881. At the start, the competition took place every three years on the occasion of the Salons triennaux des Beaux-Arts de Bruxelles in Belgium. Because of the First World War, the contest was adjourned until 1921. Since 1933, it is held every two years.

The laureates win prize money of €5,000, granted in two instalments over two years. In accordance with its founder's wishes, the winners have to spend this money on travelling abroad in order to improve their education or to conduct research, traditionally in Italy, the ceaseless return to Renaissance sources.

The jury Many famous painters, sculptors and architects of these last hundred years have accepted to be members of the contest's jury. A. Massin, W. Demulder, P. Bijtebier, Chr. Dehennin et Henri Kessels Les Concours Godecharle ont cent ans 1881-1981, Eliane de Meuse, p. 36, Dépôt légal D/1981/1758/3, Some of them are internationally recognized, including Emile Claus, Paul Delvaux, Léon Frédéric, Fernand Khnopff, Constant Permeke, Jean Brusselmans, Louis Van Lint, Victor Bourgeois, and Pierre Alechinsky.

The successful careers of some of the winners also boosted the renown of this contest. These winners included personalities such as Victor Horta, Egide Rombaux, Victor Rousseau, John Cluysenaar, Tom Frantzen, Olivier Leloup, Guillaume Van Strydonck, Éliane de Meuse, Taf Wallet, Alfred Bastien and Isidore Opsomer.

A significant milestone in the history of the contest was the first grant of the prize to a female sculptor in 1921. The winner Éliane de Meuse was only twenty-two years old when she won the prize.Benezit Dictionary of Artists Dictionnaire critique et documentaire des peintres, sculpteurs, dessinateurs et graveurs de tous les temps et de tous les pays, édition refondue sous la direction de Jacques BUSSE, volume 9, Editions Gründ, Paris, 1999, , Meuse de, Eliane, p. 554 and the awarding panel comprised the Belgian symbolist Alberto Ciamberlani, Armand Rassenfosse and the Belgian neo-impressionist Emile Claus. The winning work, entitled Daphnis et Chloé was of an impressive size, i.e. 225 cm by 180 cm, and depicted a naked young couple in an embrace. In his report to the Minister, the chairman of the panel highlighted the stylistic qualities of the composition. Paul Caso, Éliane de Meuse monography, p. 7 Paul Piron, Dictionnaire des artistes plasticiens de Belgique des XIXe et XXe siècles, volume 3, p. 235–238

The laureates The laureates of the Prix Godecharle from 1881 to the present: YearSculpturePaintingArchitecture1881 Eugène Broerman1884 Paul Du Bois Guillaume Van Strydonck Victor Horta 1887 Égide Rombeaux José Dierickx Michel De Braey1890 Victor Rousseau Auguste Leveque Adolphe Kockerols1893Adolphe Wansart1894 Ernest Wante and Eduard Van Esbroeck Émile Lambot1897 Edward Deckers and Jacques Marin Alfred Bastien 1900 Paul Nocquet Philippe Swyncop and Paul Artot Paul Bonduelle1903 Charles De Brichy Isidore_Opsomer Joseph Van Neck1907 Charles Collard Joe English Pol Berger1910 Marnix d'Haveloose Pol Vandebroek Arthur Smet1913 Alfred Courtens François Pycke Jean Hendrickx1921 Éliane de Meuse (first woman to win the prize) Alexia Creusen, Femmes artistes en Belgique XIXe et début XXe siècle, p. 120, 2007, Publisher L'Harmattan, Paris, . This author of this study is doctor in philosophy of styles and scientist assistant at University of Liège. She contributed to the dictionary of the Belgian women, French title: Dictionnaire des femmes belges, 2006, Editions Racine 1924 John Cluysenaar Léon Navez Antoine Courtens1926 Jeanne Louise MildeJEANNE Louise MILDE 1928 Fernand Debonnaires Taf Wallet Victor Maeremans1931 Peter Colfs and Maurice Schelck 1933 Pol Van Esbroeck Jean Vander Loo 1935 Geert Reusens Emile Demey and Renaat Braem1937 Georges Lambeau1939 Elisabeth Barmarin Gustave Camus 1941 Albert Baisieux Luc Peire 1943 Lode Eyckermans Maurits Van Saene Clara Bourgonjon1945 1947 André Hupet 1949 Rik Poot Jacques Lussie 1951 Robert Coolen 1953 1955 Christian Leroy 1957 Jean-Pierre Ghysels Jacqueline Desmare Jean Wilfart1959 Pol Spilliaert 1961 Frans Van Den Brande Solange François Jean-Pierre Santenois1963 Karel Dierickx 1965 1967 Nathalie Van Lierde 1969 Christine Teller Johan Baele1971 Wim Mortelmans and Jean-Claude Herman1973 Christian Rolet Claude Leveque1975 Marianne Dock Luke Vanhooren1977 Olivier Leloup Jacques 't Kindt1979 Eddy Walrave Herman Maes Paul Robbrecht1981 Tom Frantzen Christian Kieckens1983 Vincent Rouseau and Lucie Sentjens Barthel Ritzen1985 Bart Decq Elsje Lemaire Luc Van De Steene1987 Louis Halleux Daniel Colin1989 Bart De Zutter Gery De Smet Martine De Maeseneer 1991 Sven 't Jolle Nico De Gughtenaere1993 Robin Vokaer Stefan Annerel Nathalie Vervenne1995 Alexandra Jacquet Yves Lecomte1997 Christina Van Glabeke, Mario Ferretti (mention) Katleen Vermeir, Xavier Martin (mention) Peter Swinnken, Pierre Lemaire (mention)1999 Alexis Remacle Sarah Walraet Pierre Lemaire2001 Thijs Snauwaert Vincent Callebaut and Caroline Voet2003 Denis Mahin Stephan Balleux, Baptiste Colmant (mention), Vasken Mardikian (mention) Leonard Gellegos, Evelyne Hamblok (mention), Cedric Libert (mention), Olivier Mylle(mention) 2005 Nick Ervinck, Cathy Weyders (mention) Boris Thiebaut, Chiel Lambrecht (mention), Vincent Verscheure (mention) Pieter D'Haeseleer2007 Marie Zolamian Kelly Hendriks2009 Steve Dehoux Anna-Maija Rissanen Chloé Dewolf2011 Caroline de Sauvage Lucie Flamant Axel Clissen2013 Nel Bonte Pierre Maurcot Steven Schenk2015 Ronja Schlickmann Hadrien Bruyaux Evelyne Baeten2017 Conrad Willems Charlotte Flamand Wouter Verstraete2022Cente Van Hout, Tomás Barberá Ramallo (mention)

External links Fondation Godecharle (in French and in Dutch) List of the artists and jury members of the Prix Godecharle since its creation New York Public Library. Art and Architecture Division. Bibliographic guide to art and architecture. G. K. Hall., 1977.

See also Rome Prize List of European art awards

Notes