Every three years since 1985, designers from all around the globe have sent their best poster to the International Poster Triennial in Toyama, one of the world’s most prestigious poster competitions. As per usual, a jury of 5 looked at and discussed their work. This year, for the 14th edition, thonik’s co-founder Nikki Gonnissen was also part of the jury. 

Together with Dean Poole, Miki Ken, Taku Satoh and Katsumi Asaba, Nikki judged over 400 posters, coming to a marvelous selection of posters by Atelier ter Bekke & Behage, and Dasha Podoltseva to win the Gold Prize, and the Grand Prix for Super Terrain. To announce the winners, she gave a speech on what makes a poster good.

You can read the compact version of the speech down below. 

“Ladies and gentlemen,

It is a great honor to be here as part of the international jury for this year's 14th International Poster Triennial in Toyama. Over the past two days, we, the jury, have had an incredibly intensive and inspiring experience. One of the most rewarding aspects of our discussions was seeing how the judges constantly inspired each other. We shared our knowledge, but more importantly, we shared our feelings. Every poster sparked the question: What does this poster tell you? Why does it resonate so deeply? This exchange led to a thoughtful and considered selection of the finalists.

In the student competition, the overall theme was "Think..." We all know the famous saying: I think, therefore I am. And because a poster is, in many ways, a visual expression of what we think, the students embraced this theme with great enthusiasm. They challenged us to think. Think conflict, think overprotection, think gender, think from different perspectives, think renewable energy, think hunger in the world, and think beyond what the phone constantly brings us—to think beyond algorithms and, therefore, think for ourselves.

Now, moving on to the winners:

The first Gold Prize goes to Atelier Terbekke & Behage from Paris for their series of three posters for Theatre Saint-Nazaire. This series captivated us with its raw emotion and strength, effortlessly blending these elements to create something truly extraordinary. The images in this series leave an incredible amount of room for the viewer's imagination, pulling us into a contemplation of the world and the universe as a whole – and reminding us that we, as humans, are but a small part of something much greater. 

The second Gold Prize goes to Dasha Podoltseva from Ukraine for her poster titled 'Harvest'. This work struck us deeply, confronting us with the harsh realities of today’s world, where so many people are affected by devastating wars. At first, not all jury members were immediately drawn to the poster due to its soft colors and subtle, thin typography—but the more we looked at it, the more the impact grew. This poster, with its quiet intensity, reminds us of the fragility of daily life, and how in moments of conflict, everything can change in an instant.

And finally, the Grand Prix goes to Super Terrain from France for their striking poster 'À nous le monde!' (The World is Ours!). As designers, we are constantly searching for something we have never seen before, and À nous le monde! intrigued us all. For me personally, the infinite path within the image drew me in, inviting me to walk along it towards a new world—a world of hope, of new generations to come, a world of change. Yes, this poster truly says, the world is ours. It invites us all to take part, to take action, and to move forward with strength and determination.

As we conclude, let us reflect on the profound significance of these posters. They shared our sorrows, worries, dreams, and hopes. The world of design comes together here in Toyama, and the role of the museum is to preserve, present, and promote these visual expressions that echo the heartbeat of our planet.

Thank you!”

A special thank you to Noriko Kawakami, whose expertise as a national jury member and design director of the Toyama Prefectural Museum of Art and Design enriched our discussions, to Hiroko Inazuka for her outstanding effort in bringing this event to life, and to Yoshiko Ogino, director of the museum, for her great support.