Tincal lab Challenge 2026 Jewelry and Identity
"Eu não sou eu nem sou o outro,
Sou qualquer coisa de intermédio:
Pilar da ponte de tédio
Que vai de mim para o Outro.”
/
“I am neither myself nor the other,
I am something in between:
A pillar of the bridge of boredom
That goes from me to the Other.”
Mário de Sá-Carneiro, Portuguese poet (free translation)
The concept of identity invites us to look within ourselves - but do we exist without the other?
Identity and jewelry are intimately connected. Wearing jewelry is never an innocent act. Whether worn for pure aesthetics, charged with social status or imbued with sentimental value, it becomes a deliberate gesture of self-expression.
Identity has been at the center of human reflection since the beginning of time, and today it remains more relevant than ever.
In a time shaped by AI, by increasing threats to individual freedom and by public debates surrounding deeply personal matters such as gender identity, it feels urgent to reflect on what defines us. Paradoxically, we discover that what makes us unique is often what we have in common with others.
As much as we seek individuality, the desire to belong is part of the human condition - just as the feeling of being a stranger among others remains one of our deepest discomforts.
As jewelers, is the jewelry we create the same we choose to wear? What does it reveal about us? What meanings does it acquire for those who wear it?
Let jewelry speak: for the causes we defend, the values we hold and for the singularities that make us human.
INFORMATION
With the main objective to show the quality and diversity of contemporary jewelry, opening its doors to the general public, Tincal lab invites every year jewelers from around the world for a Challenge: the creation of up to 3 pieces with a maximum price each, inspired by a theme.
From this Open Call launched in June results an international event of exhibition and sale of unique characteristics. The opening is at Tincal lab in November, on the date of Simultaneous Openings event in Miguel Bombarda quarter, in Porto, accompanied by the release of a catalog.
In each edition, since 2018, it has been awarded the Selection of the Jury Award and two Selection of the Public Awards (voting in person and online), consisting of an exhibition at Tincal lab over the following year.
In the latest edition, in 2025, we gathered more than 200 exclusive jewelry pieces created by the 81 jewelers from 32 different countries selected by the jury from more than 200 applications.
In 2026, the 12th edition of Tincal lab Challenge launches the theme: Jewelry and Identity.
The maximum price for each piece will be 150€.
The opening will be at Tincal lab on November 14th of 2026.
DEADLINES
Application: until June 30th 2026
Selection: until July 20th 2026
Formalization of registration: until July 31st 2026
Reception of pieces: until September 30th 2026
Exhibition: from November 14th to December 31st 2026
Possibility of itinerancy during 2027 (optional)
Period of sale in shop and online: until June 30th 2027 (adaptable, in case of itinerancy)
Return of pieces to the artists: from July 1st 2027 (for the artists that don’t take part in the itinerancy)
WHY A MAXIMUM PRICE?
Presenting a price cap we intend to demystify the concept of art jewelry near the general public, to remove it from the context of the inaccessible art gallery and start a discussion towards understanding its value.
We want the price cap to be a differentiating element, but also a statement. Something that will catch the attention of the visitor.
We also aspire to allow everybody to buy a unique piece of jewelry for a relatively accessible price. This way people can get out of their comfort zones without feeling restricted by their budgets.
For the artists, this can also be an opportunity to think outside the box - to create something different, with different means or - why not - to exceptionally allow someone to have one of their pieces for an incredibly low price.
Working on a budget, without compromising quality, identity and creativity - that is the Challenge too.
APPLICATION
Selection will be made by the jury based on the artist's background and portfolio and will be reduced to a maximum of 80 participants.
The works submitted for consideration during the application don’t have to be related to the theme. The pieces presented in the final exhibition can be created only after the candidates know they have been selected.
Application is free. All candidates will be contacted and the selected candidates will have until July 31st to formalize the registration through the payment of the participation fee (60€), that includes a catalog of the exhibition.
Sending the application form implies the acceptance of the terms of participation (described in the bottom, please read carefully).
Application form HERE
In addition to completing the online form, you must gather the following information, in ONE pdf:
- small bio / statement about the artist (maximum 100 words, in english)
- CV
- photographs of 5 to 10 jewelry pieces that you consider representative of your work (captions including year of execution, title, typology, materials)
Please use WeTransfer to send this information together: include the WeTransfer link in the form or send directly to the email info@tincallab.com - if you have any doubt please contact us.
Failure to complete the form or to send the required information will be grounds for exclusion from the application.
JURY
Ana Pina (Portugal) | jeweler, gallerist, curator, founder of Tincal lab
Graduates in architecture (FAUP, 2004) and works in this area for some years before discovering the world of jewelry. Jeweler and gallerist, she now divides her work between her personal brand, launched in 2012, and Tincal lab, that is since 2015 an active contemporary jewelry workshop and exhibition space in the center of Porto.
In her work, Ana Pina creates unique pieces or limited collections of jewels with a strong abstract and geometric inspiration.
Orsolya Karman (Hungary / Austria) | winner of Tincal lab Challenge 2025 Selection of the Jury Award
Contemporary jewelry artist whose practice is deeply rooted in graphic design, visual systems, and material experimentation. Her work investigates jewelry as a spatial extension of graphic thinking, positioned at the intersection of art and design.
She holds a Master of Arts in Visual Communication from MOME, Budapest. With over two decades of experience in the area and a professional background as an art director, she works primarily with laser-cut techniques and architecturally inspired geometric structures, combining technological processes with meticulous handcraft.
She founded Karman Jewelry in 2012. Lives and works in Vienna, Austria.
Niki Stylianou (Greece) | artist, curator, creativity mentor, co-founder of JELO6
Niki Stylianou is a Greek architect, designer, jewelry artist, curator, educator, and creative mentor whose interdisciplinary practice bridges art, design, architecture, and participatory culture. Trained in Architecture at the National Technical University of Athens and holding postgraduate degrees from the Royal College of Art in London, she has also studied printmaking, mixed media, and jewelry design in London and Florence.
Since founding The Light Factory Creative Hub in 2010, she has worked extensively with artists and creatives through teaching and mentoring. She is the founder of Uni.Versus Art Room and co-founder of Athens Jewelry Week, currently developing the interdisciplinary JELO6 Project. Her work has been exhibited internationally in museums, galleries, and art fairs across Europe, the USA, Asia, and Australia.
TERMS
Selected artists are free to create up to 3 different jewelry pieces that fit the theme Jewelry and Identity, that will be exhibited and available for sale during the event.
The pieces should be created in exclusive for the event and must not have been presented or published before.
The artist shouldn’t make them public before the opening date and will not sell them in parallel during the period of exclusive use by the organization. The possibility and conditions of posterior reproduction and sale remain at the artist's discretion.
On the other hand, it’s encouraged the promotion of the event (with due reference), even during the creation period, including sharing of images related to the work process and sources of inspiration, for example. In this case we ask the artists to tag Tincal lab (@tincallab) in the publications and use the hashtags #tincallab and #tincallabchallenge2026.
PARTICIPATION FEE
Application is free - in case the artist is selected, the formalization of the registration implies the acceptance of the terms of participation and the payment of a participation fee of 60€, that includes a catalog of the exhibition (delivered in person or sent by the time of the return of the pieces).
All payments should be made by bank transfer (for payments in euros) or Paypal. The selected candidates will receive further information.
DELIVERY
The pieces must be delivered in time to the organization (in person or sent by post). If they arrive after September 30th it is not possible to guarantee that the artist will be included in the catalog.
Until this date, after the execution of the pieces and for the purposes of the catalog and online shop, it will also be requested detailed information about the pieces:
- inspirational text / statement (written in english, in the third person or in abstract sense, maximum 100 words), title, typology, materials and dimensions (LxWxH in mm)
- final price
- high resolution quality photos (white background, 300dpi, minimum size 3000x3000px).
The organization reserves the right to photograph the pieces if it deems it more appropriate. According to the requirements of the catalog and depending on the characteristics of the pieces, it’s possible that only one is selected by the organization for publication.
Shipping costs (of sending and returning the pieces) will be at the artists expense.
Please be advised that shipments made to Portugal from countries outside the European Union will be subject to customs verification - Tincal lab will take care of the clearance process, but can not be responsible for the delay and payment of fees that will result from it.
Artists should contact the organization before shipping the pieces, for more information. After shipping they should communicate the tracking code, to ease the reception of the packages and to speed up the customs clearance process, if applicable.
Tincal lab shall not be liable for any loss or damage incurred during transportation, assuming responsibility for the pieces during the period of time they are in the gallery.
SALE PERIOD
Exhibition takes place at Tincal lab from November 14th to December 31st of 2026. After this date, the pieces remain available for sale at Tincal lab for the minimum period of 6 months, after which they will be returned or will take part in the traveling exhibition format during 2027.
They will also be available for sale, all or in part, in the online shop (tincallab.com) during the same period.
The photographs used in the online shop will be the same taken for the catalog - to ensure that all the pieces will later be included in the online shop, it’s advisable to send quality photographs by email (preferably WeTransfer) for this purpose.
PRICES
Pieces will be sent on a consignment basis and the maximum retail price is of 150€. The commission of Tincal lab is of 50% (example: in a piece with final price of 150€ the artist price is 75€).
TRAVELING EXHIBITION
Since 2023, the Tincal lab Challenge has become an internationally recognized traveling exhibition, with partners such as the Legnica Jewellery Festival SILVER (Legnica, Poland), the Romanian Jewellery Week (Bucharest, Romania), the Lerverk space (Gothenburg, Sweden), the Galleria Carlo Lucidi (Rome, Italy), the gallery/school Lalabeyou (Madrid, Spain) or the Uni.versus gallery (Athens, Greece).
All artists participating in this edition will be invited to join the new itinerant project, taking place during 2027. Participation is encouraged, but optional, and will be subject to payment of a participation fee of €60, valid for the entire year. The winner of the Selection of the Jury Award will take part free of charge.
The traveling exhibition is expected to travel to at least 3 different venues in Europe. More information will be sent in January 2027.
We aim, above all, that the concept of Tincal lab Challenge will serve to inspire jewelers to create and to take the world of contemporary jewelry to a more comprehensive and relevant audience.
Good work to everyone!