Aesthetica Art Prize Announces £5,000 for the Main Prize Winner

The Aesthetica Art Prize is a celebration of excellence in art from across the world and offers artists the opportunity to showcase their work to wider audiences and further their involvement in the international art world. This year the Main Prize winner, as chosen by an impressive panel of judges including curators, artists and the Editor of Aesthetica Magazine, Cherie Federico, will be awarded £5,000 prize money – presenting career-boosting opportunities for the artist.

The prize of £5,000 will kick-start an artist’s chance to produce new works, connect to a wider international audience and contribute to current discussions in contemporary art. The Art Prize recognises the importance of new and innovative artwork that has a message to convey; it inspires, debates, questions or reflects the world in which we live, and it thrives on the engagement and interaction with the audience.

The winner and finalists will be given stunning editorial coverage in Aesthetica Magazine, which has a readership of 168,000 worldwide and will also be published with the longlisted artists in the accompanying exhibition catalogue, the Aesthetica Art Prize Anthology – distributed in major UK galleries.

Last year’s winner of the Aesthetica Art Prize, Sybille Neumeyer comments on the opportunities presented for engaging with new audiences: “I was excited to be chosen as one of the eight finalists and I feel honoured because it means that I’m reaching more people. It’s important not only for an artist to have a message but equally to have ways of connecting with people too.”

Judge for the Aesthetica Art Prize and Director of Aesthetica Magazine Cherie Federico says: “We recognise that there is great value in supporting emerging artists and are delighted we are able to offer the substantial prize of £5,000. It is a rare opportunity for artists at this stage in their career to receive this sum of money in addition to a group exhibition and publication in an anthology of 100 top international artists. The Art Prize will support their continued development and their progression in the art world internationally.”

Judges will be looking for artwork that is engaging and innovative and that excites or challenges whilst demonstrating technical skill and ability. Artists may submit their work into any one of the four categories: Photographic & Digital Art; Three Dimensional Design & Sculpture; Painting & Drawing, and Video, Installation & Performance.

A longlist of 100 artists will be selected, from which eight finalists and then two winners (Main Prize winner and Student Prize winner) will be chosen. The finalists will be featured in a group exhibition in spring 2015 and the winners will be announced at the exhibition opening.

In addition to the £5,000 for the Main Prize winner, prizes include; £1,000 Student Prize; group exhibition for eight finalists; publication for 100 longlisted artists in the Aesthetica Art Prize Anthology; editorial coverage for finalists in Aesthetica Magazine; up to £250 art supplies vouchers courtesy of Winsor & Newton, and five art books courtesy of Prestel.

Organised by Aesthetica Magazine, in partnership with York Museums Trust, the Aesthetica Art Prize exhibition takes place at York St Mary’s – York Art Gallery’s contemporary art space. The Aesthetica Art Prize Anthology is published by Aesthetica Magazine. Aesthetica Art Prize partners and sponsors include: Hiscox, York St John University, The Hepworth Wakefield, Prestel and Winsor & Newton.

The call for entries is now open until 31 August. Categories for entry: Photographic & Digital Art; Three Dimensional Design & Sculpture; Painting & Drawing, and Video, Installation & Performance. For more information and to submit visit www.aestheticamagazine.com/artprize.

Notes for Editors:

1. Aesthetica Magazine Aesthetica is an internationally recognised brand, with a combined online and print audience of 168,000 worldwide. Engaging with art and culture both in the UK, Europe and further a field and Aesthetica’s editorial combines dynamic content with compelling critical debate, attracting a high-profile, culturally aware audience. Aesthetica is a respected voice in contemporary art and culture and is stocked through WH Smiths nationally, major galleries including Tate Modern, ICA and the Serpentine as well as exported to 20 countries worldwide. Each issue covers visual art, film, music and performance and is published bi-monthly (6 times per year). For further information visit www.aestheticamagazine.com

2. York St Mary’s York St Mary’s is a medieval church in the centre of York. It was de-consecrated in 1958 and in 2004 York Museums Trust opened it as a contemporary art venue. The first exhibition was a light crescendo, which brought together a number of works by international artists. In 2005, York Museums Trust commissioned breathing space by Caroline Broadhead, followed by Echo by Susie MacMurray in 2006. 2007-8 was The Memory of Place by Keiko Mukaide. In 2009 Emma Biggs and Matthew Collings used shards of medieval pottery from the Yorkshire Museum to create an installation Five Sisters inspired by the window of the same name at York Minster. In 2010 Susan Stockwell installed Flood made from thousands of disused computer components, while last year saw Cornelia Parker’s Thirty Pieces of Silver displayed, on loan from Tate.

3. Judges The impressive list of judges for last year’s Prize comprised of influential art figures and curators: Cherie Federico, Editor of Aesthetica Magazine; Laura Turner, Curator at York Art Gallery; Frances Guy, Head of Collection and Exhibitions at The Hepworth Wakefield; and Stuart Semple, internationally renowned painter. Judges this year will include Cherie Federico, Editor of Aesthetica Magazine and Dr Sam Lackey, Curator at The Hepworth Wakefield. The other judges will be announced shortly.

4. Previous finalists include Ingrid Hu, a former designer at the Lubetkin-winning Heatherwick Studio; Marcus Jansen, a leading modern expressionist who joins a legacy of artists featuring in Absolut Vodka’s artistic campaigns; Bernat Millet, shortlisted for National Portrait Gallery’s Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize, and Julia Vogl, who was shortlisted for New Sensations: Saatchi Gallery and Channel 4’s Prize and has exhibited at Zabludowicz Collection.

5. Aesthetica Art Prize Exhibition runs until 22 June. Free Admission. 10am -5pm. 2015’s exhibition will open in late March.

6. 2014’s Prize attracted over 3,000 entries.

7. Partners and Sponsors include York Museums Trust, Hiscox, York St John University, The Hepworth Wakefield, Winsor & Newton, Prestel.

8. Websites for Further Information: www.aestheticamagazine.com/artprize and www.yorkstmarys.org.uk

9. Follow us on Twitter: @AestheticaMag Facebook: www.facebook.com/aestheticamagazine

10. For interviews, images and press releases please contact Alexandra Beresford on 01904 629 137 or [email protected]