King’s Ely Sixth Former, Max Openshaw has been selected as one of twenty finalists in this year’s 2015 Saatchi Gallery/Deutsche Bank ‘Art Prize for Schools’ Competition.
The annual competition invites exhibitors from primary and secondary schools as well as sixth form colleges from around the world to enter their work. This year there were over 20,000 entrants and Max’s enormous sculpture, entitled Construction, is the only site specific installation to be shortlisted. The panel of judges for this year’s prize include Lauren Child MBE, writer, illustrator and creator of ‘Charlie and Lola’; Catherine Goodman, Artistic Director of The Royal Drawing Schools; Alistair Hicks, Art Advisor to Deutsche Bank; Nigel Hurst, CEO of the Saatchi Gallery and Richard Wilson.
A first prize of £10,000 will be awarded to the winning school’s art department, with a further £2,000 presented to the winning student to be spent on art and computer equipment. Two further runner-up prizes of £5,000 each will be awarded to the second and third placed schools, with a further £1,000 to each of the winning pupils.
Colin Grassie, Deutsche Bank UK CEO who presents the awards says “Deutsche Bank has long supported contemporary art and values the creativity and innovation which art can bring to a young person’s development. We are proud to support the Saatchi Gallery and its Art Prize for Schools which is an excellent example of how the arts can support education.”
The winners will be announced on the evening of the 28th April with the exhibition taking place from 28 April – 4 May at the Saatchi Gallery, London.