The Sovereign Art Foundation Students Prize launches in Chester for 2023

PRESS RELEASE: Chester, 20 July 2023
The Sovereign Art Foundation Students Prize launches in Chester for 2023

Sovereign has recently moved its UK Corporate and Trustee Administration Services division to the Coachworks Arcade in Chester city centre. Sovereign Corporate & Trustee Services (SCATS) is a subsidiary of the Sovereign Group, which is one of the largest independent providers of corporate, private client, retirement planning and insurance services globally.

Sovereign are immensely proud of its charitable arm, The Sovereign Art Foundation (SAF) – a charitable organisation founded in 2003 to recognise, support and promote contemporary art talent and to bring the therapeutic benefits of art to disadvantaged children.

The SAF Students Prizes are annual awards that champion the importance of art in the education system. SAF is delighted to announce the arrival of the inaugural edition of the SAF Students Prize, Chester, new for 2023. SAF runs eleven Student Prizes around the world and Chester is the latest addition to the portfolio. This annual award will celebrate the talent and quality of artworks of secondary school aged art students, whilst rewarding secondary school art programmes for nurturing this talent.

Art teachers of secondary schools in Chester are invited to nominate their best art students to submit artworks to the competition, online, before 6 October. The 20 shortlisted artworks, selected by the judges, will be displayed in the Chester Cathedral in the Finalists’ Exhibition from 20 – 27 November.

The overall winner of The Sovereign Art Foundation Students Prize, Chester 2023 will be determined when the judging panel reexamine the shortlisted works at the Finalists’ Exhibition; selecting one student to be awarded the Judge’s Prize trophy and £800 (their school art department will receive £2,000). To boost public engagement and increase exposure for the students, exhibition visitors and online viewers will be invited to cast a vote for their favourite finalist artwork, the most popular of which will receive the Public Vote Prize trophy and £400 (and their school £1,000).

We are delighted to announce that the internationally renowned artists and sculptors David Mach and Kevin Francis Gray will be on the judging panel together with Howard Bilton, Founder and Chairman of SAF. Additional judges will be announced in due course.

The winners of both Chester prizes (Judge’s and Public) will be automatically entered into the 2024 SAF Global Students Prize, showcasing their talent on an international stage and facilitating cultural exchange and dialogue. The winners of this will be announced in Q1 2024.

Howard Bilton Founder and Chairman of The Sovereign Art Foundation, commented: “The Sovereign Art Foundation began life in Hong Kong in 2003 with the aim of raising funds to help disadvantaged children using art as a form of therapy. Since then we have raised over US$11 million, we work around the world and have helped many thousands of children. We are thrilled to see the SAF Students Prize coming to Chester in tandem with our new office opening there and relish the chance to engage with the community and explore the artistic talent of the local students. We have existing students prizes in Isle of Man, Malta, Hong Kong, Singapore, Portugal, Guernsey, Bahrain, Mauritius, London and Gibraltar. The Prizes encourage art and creativity and raise a little money for local charities. The Prizes have gained huge interest from students around the world, and we are excited to be able to give students in Chester this platform and opportunity.”

If you know any budding young local artists, please share this with them. If you are a business who would like to support this prize and gain fantastic community exposure in the process, please get in touch.

All enquiries: Nicole Holland, nholland@sovereigngroup.com, +44 1244 901350
Facebook: The SAF Students Prize, Chester | The Sovereign Art Foundation Students Prizes
Instagram: @safstudentsprize | @sovereignartfoundation
#SovereignArtFoundation #SAFSP2023