Henryk Wieniawski International Violin Making Competition Names 2025 Winners

The Polish luthier Paweł Kubacka has won first and second place with cash prizes of over €20,000 

Held every five years, the Henryk Wieniawski International Violin Making Competition recently completed its 15th edition in Poznań, Poland, bringing together the world’s finest professional luthiers. 

Since its founding in 1957, the competition has seen a jury of esteemed violin makers and violinists evaluate the craftsmanship and sound of thousands of instruments from over 50 countries worldwide. 

This year, both the €18,000 first prize and €6,000 second place were awarded to Paweł Kubacka from Poland for their SONA and LUNA violins.

Recognized as the best among the 76 instruments submitted to the 2025 competition, SONA will now join the Violin Making Collection of the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage of the Republic of Poland.

Third prize with €4,000 went to Zhaojun Liu from China for the SUNRISE instrument. Both winners also received honorary diplomas.

Additionally, Kubacka won the €2,000 special prize for the highest violin-making qualities for LUNA, and Liu was awarded €2,000 for the highest acoustic qualities for SUNRISE. 

The €1,500 award and statuette for the highest aesthetic qualities of the scroll (funded by Piotr Pielaszek), was awarded to Damiano Catesi from Italy for the instrument ODISSEO. 

Now showcased at Poznań’s Museum of Musical Instruments, the winning instruments were evaluated for technical workmanship, assembly, playability, and aesthetic values. In the third and public round, the jurors assessed the violins’ sound in both chamber and concert hall settings. 

Chaired by Frank Ravatin and Agata Szymczewska, the jury comprised Krzysztof Krupa, Antoine Nedelec, Ji Hwan Park, Noémie Viaud, and Soyoung Yoon. 

“The level of the competition was astonishingly high. So many unbelievably good instruments were submitted!” Nedelec commented.

“Some instruments were truly inspiring,” added Viaud. “It’s a wonderful feeling that even as a juror, I can find inspiration in some of these instruments. You often hear comments like: ‘Modern instruments all look the same.’ This competition is the best proof that they absolutely don’t.”

The livestream of the award ceremony and gala concert can be viewed below.