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From now until September, local artists of secondary school age are encouraged to enter their work into The Sovereign Art Foundation Student Prize. This annual Art competition offers the chance for students to not only win significant cash prizes, but also to exhibit their own artworks both locally and internationally. Finalists can also experience how it feels to create an income from their Art as prints will be on sale.
Each year over 100 entries are received. These can cover any topic and be created using any 2D medium – including collages and photography. Students are often nominated by their school Art departments, but with up to three entries allowed per person, they can also put forward work created at home. The September deadline enables young people to experiment and create entries during the upcoming summer holidays.
The work of 20 young artists will be shortlisted and taken on tour in the Finalist Exhibition this Autumn and the Guernsey public will choose who wins The Public Vote Prize and £400 by voting for their favourite piece. There is also a Judges Award with a prize of £800 for the student and £2,000 for their school. There are several other great prizes too, including two much sought-after Art for Guernsey Scholarship Awards which fully immerse the winners in the London art scene. There are also Lexicon vouchers for the highest scoring of the younger participants.
Life size reproductions of the finalist artworks will be on sale alongside an auction of some of the original works. Sales proceeds are split equitably between the artist and the Foundation. This both encourages and rewards the young artists’ efforts, while helping to support the Prize and a local art bursary scheme.
Perhaps the most impressive element of the competition is that the top two winners are also put forward to compete in the SAF Global Students Prize, going up against winners of The Sovereign Art Foundation Students Prizes from different countries. This gives artists who have often not yet finished school the chance to see their artwork gain extensive international exposure.
Local competition coordinator Elizabeth Grafton wants to encourage young people to get creative:
“The Sovereign Art Foundation seeks to promote the therapeutic benefits of Art to children. Previous participants in the Prize tell us how much the process of creating their Art means to them. They find the process of slowing down through focussing on a piece of Art calming and restorative in a way that many other activities open to them are not. Rather than a school subject which young people either think they are good at or not, we would like them to realise that Art is a far more inherent part of being human and a great way for anyone to explore their own unique identity. By putting their artworks forward, they put themselves on the radar – our judges are on the lookout not only for the winners, but to identify young talent to encourage. They stand to make important connections to help them go from strength to strength.”
For more information about the Students Prize competition and Sovereign Art Foundation visit www.artprize.gg
