Marijke van der Wijst (1940) studied architectural design at the Academy St. Joost in Breda. During her career, she carried out numerous conversions and refurbishments of dwellings, reception areas and offices. She has won great acclaim for the refurbishment of Centrale Verdeelplaats PTT Expeditieknooppunt in Haarlem in 1985, the renovation and redesign of museums, and many exhibition designs in the fields of visual arts, architecture, and design. Among the highlights are ‘The Gold of the Thracians’, ‘Holland in Form’, ‘Vincent van Gogh, paintings’, ‘The Great Utopia’ and ‘Metz & Co., the creative years’. Van der Wijst is also a consultant on product development, design policy, and art director at Vescom BV in Deurne. She was awarded the Kho Liang-Le Prize (1993), the Mart Stam Prize (2001) and the Dutch Design Award for exhibition designs (2003). In 2002, Van der Wijst acquired national fame with her design for the temporary wedding hall in the Beurs van Berlage, when it was used for the civil wedding ceremony of Prince Willem-Alexander and Princess Máxima. She designed a table with an extending leaf, so that the bridal pair could remain sitting while signing the marriage certificate. Marijke van der Wijst holds a seat on several advisory committees, boards and juries, and regularly acts as a second examiner.

The jury (chair Martijn Sanders, Rob Huisman, Bruno Ninaber van Eyben, Paul Mijksenaar, Trude Hooykaas, Hans Dirken, Reinier Gerritsen and Tet Reuver) explain the unanimous preference for Marijke van der Wijst as follows: “Marijke van der Wijst is an exceptionally disciplined designer, who cannot be captured in any design discipline. Her oeuvre is extensive and wide in scope; the design itself attests to severity and restraint. We commend the way in which she shapes her collaboration with clients, her contribution to the education of young designers – encouraging, inspiring, and critical – and her role in the board of BNO. She has made a significant contribution to the development of the professional field.”