APPROVED
By order of the Director of the Vilnius Region Ethnographic Museum
22 January 2023
Order No. VEM-3-(1.2 E)
REGULATIONS FOR THE 2026 VILNIUS REGION STUDENTS, YOUTH AND ADULTS PALM BOUQUET MAKERS
COMPETITIVE EXHIBITION “TRADITIONAL VILNIUS PALM BOUQUET”
I. GENERAL PROVISIONS
- The regulations for the 2026 Vilnius Region students, youth and adults palm bouquet makers competitive exhibition “Traditional Vilnius Palm Bouquet” (hereinafter – the Exhibition) govern the objectives of the event, participants, works to be presented, the organization of the Exhibition, evaluation and awards, organizers and coordinators.
- Main definition:
2.1. Vilnius palm bouquets are artistically composed dried flowers and herbs attached with thread to a hazel rod.
II. OBJECTIVES
- Exhibition objectives:
3.1. To maintain the vitality and revive the declining tradition of palm bouquet making;
3.2. To encourage public interest, especially among the younger generation, in the craft cultivated in the Vilnius region – the tradition of palm bouquet making, and to foster knowledge of folk art traditions;
3.3. To identify the most talented students, youth and adults who devote their leisure time to the study of traditional folk art (palm bouquet making) and creativity based on it, to provide an opportunity to show their work to the public and to compete with like-minded individuals in skills and craftsmanship;
3.4. To restore the use of the oldest herbs – St. John’s wort, tansy, sedge, evening primrose, black alder and grey alder catkins – in contemporary palm bouquet making practice, to return to the authentic source, emphasizing the geography and origins of the herbs used in palm bouquet craft.
III. PARTICIPANTS
- Students, youth and adults participate in the Exhibition.
- Participants are divided into two age groups:
5.1. Students and youth;
5.2. Adults.
IV. WORKS SUBMITTED TO THE COMPETITIVE EXHIBITION
- Works submitted to the Exhibition:
6.1. Palm bouquets of various traditional forms (rod-style, wreath-style, roll-style, heart-shaped, bubble-shaped, figurative and other forms) reflecting the author’s craftsmanship, distinctive style, authenticity of forms, compatibility of herbs and colors, and meeting the technical parameters of palm bouquet making;
6.2. Three palm bouquets are submitted to the Exhibition, with a height ranging from 25 to 80 cm;
6.3. Palm bouquets must be made from undyed herbs;
6.4. Submitted palm bouquets must be in good condition, prepared for display, and made within the last two years;
6.5. Palm bouquets made from unsuitable materials or using inappropriate means (plastic, synthetic materials, glue, etc.) will be returned to the authors;
6.6. Palm bouquets meeting the requirements of the regulations are submitted with a completed participant form, which includes the nomination category name and a list of submitted works (attached);
6.7. Works exhibited by employees of the Vilnius Region Ethnographic Museum and its branches are not evaluated in the Exhibition;
6.8. Authors whose palm bouquets submitted to the Exhibition are recognized as the best undertake to transfer their works to the Organizers.
V. ORGANIZATION PROCEDURE
- Exhibition organizers: Čekoniškės Palm Bouquet and Household Chamber (address: A. Mickevičiaus St. 200, Čekoniškės village, Vilnius district) and the Traditional Crafts Center at Houvaltas Manor in Maišiagala (Algirdo St. 4, Maišiagala, Vilnius district);
- The Exhibition will take place at Mozūriškės Manor (address: V. Jasinskio St. 15, Vilnius district);
- Responsible persons: Janina Norkūnienė, head of the Čekoniškės Palm Bouquet and Household Chamber (tel. +370 867 83752), Jolanta Lapinskaja, head of the Traditional Crafts Center at Houvaltas Manor in Maišiagala (tel. +370 672 90225), and event organizer Janina Voleišo (tel. +370 675 47239);
- Publication of the Exhibition regulations – 4 February 2026;
- Participant registration and submission of works – from 11 February 2026 to 6 March 2026;
- Exhibition opening – 2026 18 March;
- Evaluation of works – 2026 25 March;
- Announcement of Exhibition results and award ceremony for laureates – 2026 15 April.
VI. EVALUATION AND AWARDS
- Palm bouquets submitted to the Exhibition are evaluated based on their artistic value, craftsmanship, the work’s connection to palm bouquet making traditions, and the geographical origin of the herbs;
- Works are evaluated by a 5-member commission composed of folk art specialists, museum professionals and specialists from other fields, one of whom serves as commission chair;
- The commission selects and awards the best works in all age groups:
17.1. Category I “Traditional Vilnius Palm Bouquet”. Adults: 1st, 2nd and 3rd places, awarded with diplomas and monetary prizes;
17.2. Category I “Traditional Vilnius Palm Bouquet”. Students and youth: 1st, 2nd and 3rd places, awarded with diplomas and monetary prizes;
17.3. Category II “Traditional Palm Bouquet Composition”. Adults: 1st, 2nd and 3rd places, awarded with diplomas and monetary prizes;
17.4. Category II “Traditional Palm Bouquet Composition”. Students and youth: 1st, 2nd and 3rd places, awarded with diplomas and monetary prizes;
17.5. Category III “Audience Favorite Palm Bouquet Composition”. Adults: awarded with a diploma and commemorative prize;
17.6. Category III “Audience Favorite Palm Bouquet Composition”. Students and youth: awarded with a diploma and commemorative prize. - Students and youth who participated in the Exhibition will be given the opportunity during 2026 to participate free of charge in a palm bouquet making educational program at the Čekoniškės Palm Bouquet and Household Chamber at a time convenient for them;
- The commission and Exhibition sponsors may award other special prizes;
- The commission’s decision is final and not subject to appeal;
- The commission, upon announcing the Exhibition winners, must publicly discuss the Exhibition and comment on its decisions.
VII. ORGANIZERS AND COORDINATORS
- Exhibition organizers – the Vilnius Region Ethnographic Museum’s Čekoniškės Palm Bouquet and Household Chamber and the Traditional Crafts Center at Houvaltas Manor in Maišiagala;
- Exhibition partner – the Vilnius Region Folk Artists – Art Creators Community;
- Coordinator – the Culture and Tourism Department of the Vilnius District Municipality Administration.
VIII. FINAL PROVISIONS
- Information about the competition is published in local press and on websites: www.vrsa.lt, www.vilniaustautodaile.lt, www.vkem.lt;
- During the Exhibition, works and participants will be photographed and filmed;
- Photographs and filmed material are considered the property of the Vilnius Region Ethnographic Museum and may be used for the institution’s educational, cultural and promotional purposes without separate consent from participants.
APPROVED
By order of the Director of the Vilnius Region Ethnographic Museum
22 January 2023
Order No. VEM-3-(1.2 E)
REGULATIONS FOR THE 2026 VILNIUS REGION STUDENTS, YOUTH AND ADULTS PALM BOUQUET MAKERS
COMPETITIVE EXHIBITION “TRADITIONAL VILNIUS PALM BOUQUET”
I. GENERAL PROVISIONS
- The regulations for the 2026 Vilnius Region students, youth and adults palm bouquet makers competitive exhibition “Traditional Vilnius Palm Bouquet” (hereinafter – the Exhibition) govern the objectives of the event, participants, works to be presented, the organization of the Exhibition, evaluation and awards, organizers and coordinators.
- Main definition:
2.1. Vilnius palm bouquets are artistically composed dried flowers and herbs attached with thread to a hazel rod.
II. OBJECTIVES
- Exhibition objectives:
3.1. To maintain the vitality and revive the declining tradition of palm bouquet making;
3.2. To encourage public interest, especially among the younger generation, in the craft cultivated in the Vilnius region – the tradition of palm bouquet making, and to foster knowledge of folk art traditions;
3.3. To identify the most talented students, youth and adults who devote their leisure time to the study of traditional folk art (palm bouquet making) and creativity based on it, to provide an opportunity to show their work to the public and to compete with like-minded individuals in skills and craftsmanship;
3.4. To restore the use of the oldest herbs – St. John’s wort, tansy, sedge, evening primrose, black alder and grey alder catkins – in contemporary palm bouquet making practice, to return to the authentic source, emphasizing the geography and origins of the herbs used in palm bouquet craft.
III. PARTICIPANTS
- Students, youth and adults participate in the Exhibition.
- Participants are divided into two age groups:
5.1. Students and youth;
5.2. Adults.
IV. WORKS SUBMITTED TO THE COMPETITIVE EXHIBITION
- Works submitted to the Exhibition:
6.1. Palm bouquets of various traditional forms (rod-style, wreath-style, roll-style, heart-shaped, bubble-shaped, figurative and other forms) reflecting the author’s craftsmanship, distinctive style, authenticity of forms, compatibility of herbs and colors, and meeting the technical parameters of palm bouquet making;
6.2. Three palm bouquets are submitted to the Exhibition, with a height ranging from 25 to 80 cm;
6.3. Palm bouquets must be made from undyed herbs;
6.4. Submitted palm bouquets must be in good condition, prepared for display, and made within the last two years;
6.5. Palm bouquets made from unsuitable materials or using inappropriate means (plastic, synthetic materials, glue, etc.) will be returned to the authors;
6.6. Palm bouquets meeting the requirements of the regulations are submitted with a completed participant form, which includes the nomination category name and a list of submitted works (attached);
6.7. Works exhibited by employees of the Vilnius Region Ethnographic Museum and its branches are not evaluated in the Exhibition;
6.8. Authors whose palm bouquets submitted to the Exhibition are recognized as the best undertake to transfer their works to the Organizers.
V. ORGANIZATION PROCEDURE
- Exhibition organizers: Čekoniškės Palm Bouquet and Household Chamber (address: A. Mickevičiaus St. 200, Čekoniškės village, Vilnius district) and the Traditional Crafts Center at Houvaltas Manor in Maišiagala (Algirdo St. 4, Maišiagala, Vilnius district);
- The Exhibition will take place at Mozūriškės Manor (address: V. Jasinskio St. 15, Vilnius district);
- Responsible persons: Janina Norkūnienė, head of the Čekoniškės Palm Bouquet and Household Chamber (tel. +370 867 83752), Jolanta Lapinskaja, head of the Traditional Crafts Center at Houvaltas Manor in Maišiagala (tel. +370 672 90225), and event organizer Janina Voleišo (tel. +370 675 47239);
- Publication of the Exhibition regulations – 4 February 2026;
- Participant registration and submission of works – from 11 February 2026 to 6 March 2026;
- Exhibition opening – 2026 18 March;
- Evaluation of works – 2026 25 March;
- Announcement of Exhibition results and award ceremony for laureates – 2026 15 April.
VI. EVALUATION AND AWARDS
- Palm bouquets submitted to the Exhibition are evaluated based on their artistic value, craftsmanship, the work’s connection to palm bouquet making traditions, and the geographical origin of the herbs;
- Works are evaluated by a 5-member commission composed of folk art specialists, museum professionals and specialists from other fields, one of whom serves as commission chair;
- The commission selects and awards the best works in all age groups:
17.1. Category I “Traditional Vilnius Palm Bouquet”. Adults: 1st, 2nd and 3rd places, awarded with diplomas and monetary prizes;
17.2. Category I “Traditional Vilnius Palm Bouquet”. Students and youth: 1st, 2nd and 3rd places, awarded with diplomas and monetary prizes;
17.3. Category II “Traditional Palm Bouquet Composition”. Adults: 1st, 2nd and 3rd places, awarded with diplomas and monetary prizes;
17.4. Category II “Traditional Palm Bouquet Composition”. Students and youth: 1st, 2nd and 3rd places, awarded with diplomas and monetary prizes;
17.5. Category III “Audience Favorite Palm Bouquet Composition”. Adults: awarded with a diploma and commemorative prize;
17.6. Category III “Audience Favorite Palm Bouquet Composition”. Students and youth: awarded with a diploma and commemorative prize. - Students and youth who participated in the Exhibition will be given the opportunity during 2026 to participate free of charge in a palm bouquet making educational program at the Čekoniškės Palm Bouquet and Household Chamber at a time convenient for them;
- The commission and Exhibition sponsors may award other special prizes;
- The commission’s decision is final and not subject to appeal;
- The commission, upon announcing the Exhibition winners, must publicly discuss the Exhibition and comment on its decisions.
VII. ORGANIZERS AND COORDINATORS
- Exhibition organizers – the Vilnius Region Ethnographic Museum’s Čekoniškės Palm Bouquet and Household Chamber and the Traditional Crafts Center at Houvaltas Manor in Maišiagala;
- Exhibition partner – the Vilnius Region Folk Artists – Art Creators Community;
- Coordinator – the Culture and Tourism Department of the Vilnius District Municipality Administration.
VIII. FINAL PROVISIONS
- Information about the competition is published in local press and on websites: www.vrsa.lt, www.vilniaustautodaile.lt, www.vkem.lt;
- During the Exhibition, works and participants will be photographed and filmed;
- Photographs and filmed material are considered the property of the Vilnius Region Ethnographic Museum and may be used for the institution’s educational, cultural and promotional purposes without separate consent from participants.