From 12 September 2026 to 10 January 2027, the Glass Museum will host, in the Venetian Beads Gallery, the 20 works that have passed the first stage of judging in the Fifth International Competition dedicated to the Art of Traditional Venetian Glass Beads ‘Your Bead for Venice’, organised by the Committee for the Safeguarding of the Art of Venetian Glass Beads in collaboration with the International Society of Glass Beadmakers and the Association des Perliers D’Art de France.
The competition aims to promote the sharing of traditional knowledge and raise awareness of how much it inspires contemporary art on an international platform. Venice has a long and rich history in the development of the art of glass beadmaking, which has been inscribed on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity since December 2020.
This competition seeks to showcase glass beads made using traditional Venetian techniques or inspired by Venetian techniques and styles. Eligible categories include lampwork beads, beads created from hollow rods and blown beads. Examples of traditional Venetian techniques include the use of murrine, aventurine glass, decoration with ‘vette’, chevron beads, lampwork blown beads, and so on. Throughout The Venice Glass Week, visitors to the Museum can cast their vote and thus decide the winning bead. Furthermore, from 20 September 2026 to 6 January 2027, it will also be possible to vote online.
