Sovereign Art Foundation Students Prize Gibraltar 2021 – entries close 22 October
Sovereign are thrilled to bring the Sovereign Art Foundation (SAF) to Gibraltar this year with the inaugural edition of the Sovereign Art Foundation Students Prize, Gibraltar, presented by Hassans International Law Firm Limited. SAF is 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 Gibraltar Students Prize is an annual award that is designed to showcase and celebrate the artistic talent of Gibraltar students in the 11 to 18 years age range, while also highlighting the importance of art in the education system and rewarding Gibraltar’s secondary education institutions for nurturing this talent.
Students are invited to submit up to three artworks each to the competition’s online platform by 22 October. A judging panel will then select 20 artworks to be displayed in Gibraltar at the Finalists’ Exhibition at the Fine Arts Gallery, Casemates, from 6 to 11 December and John Mackintosh Hall from 13 to 17 December. The exhibition will then tour other venues in Gibraltar, including St Bernard’s Hospital.
The overall winner of the SAF Students Prize Gibraltar 2021 will be determined by a panel of judges made up of award-winning contemporary Gibraltarian artist Christian Hook, gallerist and curator Magda Bellotti, art historian and curator Professor Gabriela Giménez de la Riva, and SAF Founder and Chairman Howard Bilton.
There will be four prizes awarded to four different students. The winner of the main Judge’s Prize will receive a trophy and £800, while their school art department will receive £2,000. Exhibition visitors and online viewers will also be invited to vote for a Public Vote Prize, with the winner receiving a trophy and £400, while their school art department will receive £1,000. In addition, the Hassans Prize will award £300 to both the student and their school, and the Arts Society Gibraltar will award a £250 prize, for a student aged 11-14.
Support for the arts is more important now than ever and the Sovereign Art Foundation Gibraltar are grateful to have generous backing from: Hassans International Law Firm Limited as gold sponsor; Simmons Gainsford and Image Graphics as silver sponsors and bronze supporters: Brooks MacDonald, Schroders, Silver Key, LGT Vestra and the Ministry for Culture, Gibraltar .
Art enriches lives and has many therapeutic benefits. In line with SAF’s objectives, there will be a charitable, not-for-profit funding element as SAF Gibraltar will give back to the community by donating a portion of funds raised to local not-for-profit art initiatives, which work with children and assist them in accessing enrichment from the arts .
SAF funding this year will go to the Gibraltar Youth Production Team (GYPT), a Youth Service project that aims to attract young people between the ages 15-25 including – in particular, those who are not in education, employment or training – to assist them in the development of skills in the medium of film and photography that will be useful to prospective employers or to build a portfolio of work for entering tertiary education.
The GYPT funding will purchase much needed equipment including a ceiling track system, lighting and a camera, which will be showcased and used throughout a six-week photography and lighting workshop for their members. Young Gibraltarians have previously created a diverse range of issue-based videos and photography drawing attention to issues such as mental health, dyslexia, bullying and suicide.
SAF will also use funds raised to support ‘The Artful Remedy’, an art therapist who will offer creative and personal development workshops for children who most need them. The programme will provide the therapist with a space and all the art materials to teach and develop creative life skills.
Artworks or prints of the final 20 shortlisted as well as possibly digital assets of their work in the form of non-fungible tokens (NFTs) will then be sold, at the agreement of each student. Sale proceeds and fundraising income will split equally between the student and the local not-for-profit programmes as mentioned above.
SAF Founder and Chairman Howard Bilton said: “The SAF Students Prizes encourage art and creativity and raise money for local charities. The Prizes have gained huge interest from students around the world, and we are excited to now be able to give students in Gibraltar this platform and opportunity.”
To find out more about the Sovereign Art Foundation Students Prize Gibraltar 2021 and how to enter, please visit: www.sovereignartfoundation.com/art-prizes/student-art-prize/gibraltar or send your enquiries to Sophie Blake below
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