OPEN CALL IRCICA Launches the 11th International Calligraphy Competition

IRCICA invites calligraphers from around the world working in Islamic calligraphy to apply to the competition. The 11th competition is conducted in the following ten categories of styles: Jaly Thuluth, Thuluth, Naskh, Muhaqqaq, Thuluth-Naskh, Jaly Taliq, Ta’liq (Nastaliq), Jaly Diwani, Diwani, Kufi.

The Jury chaired by IRCICA Director General Dr. Halit Eren and the Advisory Board of the competition are composed of masters of calligraphy from different countries.

The calligraphy competition has the objective to encourage artists of Islamic calligraphy to produce works within the framework of the traditional spirit and rules and to protect it from trends which emerged outside the classical principles. With this objective, to encourage artists to emulate the examples of the great masters of calligraphy and, at the same time, to commemorate the latter’s achievements, the first international competition (1986) was dedicated to Hamid al-Amidi (1309-1402/1891-1982), the second (1989) to Yaqut al-Mustasimi (d.698/1298), the third (1992) to Ibn al-Bawwab (d.413/1022), the fourth (1997) to Sheikh Hamdullah (833-926/1429-1520), the fifth (2000) to Sayyid Ibrahim (1341-1414/1897-1994), the sixth (2003) to Mir Imad al-Haseni (961-1024/1554-1615), the seventh (2006) to Hashim Muhammad al-Baghdadi (1335-1393/1917-1973), the eighth (2010) to Muhammed Badawi al-Dirani (1312-1387/1894-1967), the ninth (2013) to Ekmeleddin İhsanoğlu (1943-..) and tenth (2016) to Hafiz Othman (1051-1110/1642-1698).

The 11th competition is dedicated to Mehmed Shawqi Efendi, who worked in the Secretariat of the Ministry of Defence of the Ottoman State and as teacher of calligraphy in military schools of Istanbul. The exercise books for the thuluth and naskh scripts that he prepared and used in his teaching were published by IRCICA in 1999.

To learn more about the Terms and Conditions of the competition and to apply visit IRCICA website.