In the UK art is becoming a major part of the economy. Not only is the UK the largest European art market, it is also the second largest in the world. Billions of pounds are spent each year in this industry and the number of artists working in Britain is huge. This is reflected by the wide range of awards aimed at finding the best new art talents in the UK. Winning prizes is a great way for artists to gain notoriety, sell more work and perfect their skills. But which art awards and prizes are worth entering?
The Ashurst Emerging Artist Prize
This prestigious prize is awarded to artists who show significant potential, interesting ideas and convey a relevant message. It doesn’t matter about your background or where you are based to enter for this prize. There are cash prizes for the winner and Ashurst employee pick but the real prize is a solo exhibition in their incredible London gallery. You can discover more details about the entry requirements and process for this incredible prize on their dedicated website.
The Clyde & Co Art Award
Targeted exclusively at art students this unique award aims to support emerging artists along a professional career path. Beyond this there are very few restrictions as to what you can enter. The prizes include cash but they are also given legal advice by Clyde and co and the chance discuss future career plans with Ian Chance, who teaches creative entrepreneurship at University of East Anglia. Clyde and Co also run The Blank Canvas award which is also targeted at students and gives them the opportunity to submit plans for a giant artwork for their London office. This award aims to provide more experience of the commissioning process. If you would like to know more about either of these awards there is more information on their website.
BP Portrait Award
Focused solely on portraiture this is one of the most prestigious international awards. It aims to find the very best in contemporary portrait painting and features a diverse range of entries each year. This award has been a launching pad for some of the most successful modern artists. The prize for this award is a five figure sum and the chance to have your work displayed at the National Portrait Gallery. There are several categories that are eligible for prizes including a dedicated young artist award, which entrants between the ages of 18-30 are automatically entered for. There are plenty more details for this prestigious award available on their website.
This is just a small selection of the incredible prizes that young and emerging artists can enter in order to increase their notoriety.
Will you be entering your work for an of these phenomenal prizes? Let us know how you get on through our social media pages.
