The winners of the 2022 Maltings Art Prize were announced at a prize-giving ceremony at OVO at the Maltings Theatre on Tuesday 13th December. The event saw 170 guests, made up of finalists, parents and teachers, flock to attend this community inspired awards evening.
The art competition, with the theme ‘Reflections’ and ‘Animals of the World’, saw school pupils aged 4-18 years from 9 local schools compete for the chance to win a cash prize of £1,000 for their school Art Department and a £250 cash prize for the overall winner. The winning students from each of the groups were presented with trophies and all finalists received a medal.
The awards evening was hosted at OVO at the Maltings Theatre which has been a part of St Albans’ cultural scene for the past 30 years, building a rich heritage and providing a home for scores of live performances. OVO has breathed new life into this cultural venue and re-established the theatre’s presence and reputation as a regional and national theatre of quality and distinction.
The competition saw over 800 entries by 9 local schools and 50 works were shortlisted by a panel of judges including: Phil Corrigan, Centre Manager of Maltings Shopping Centre, Ellie O’Meara presenter at MIX 92.6 and Ben Askem, local artist and owner of a working studio and gallery in the High Street, St Albans.
The awards evening was opened by Phil Corrigan of the Maltings and the winners were announced by Faye Penfold and Cherie Button MIX 92.6 presenters. The finalists were presented with their well-deserved awards by Phil Corrigan and posed for photos with local photographer John Andrews.
AGE 5-7 YRS. Group 5 winner: Leonardo, Cunningham Hill Primary School
AGE 7-10 YRS. Group 4 winner: Zachary Trotman, Abbey CofE Primary School
AGE 10-13 YRS. Group 3 winner: Thomas Bridge, Sandringham School
AGE 13-16 YRS. Group 2 winner: Freya Casey, Loreto College
AGE 16-18 YRS. Group 1 winner: Imogen Kingston, Nicholas Breakspear School
A ‘Special Merit’ Prize was awarded to Rosalina Argenio from Loreto College.
Paul Hearn, Head of Expressive Arts at Nicholas Breakspear School received the trophy on behalf of Group 1 Winner Imogen Kingston and a fellow pupil received the trophy on behalf of Freya Casey Group 2 Winner and Special Merit winner Rosalina Argenio.
Leonardo’s use and application of colour and shape wowed the judges and earned him the place of Overall Winner with his stunning painting which incorporated both themes. Local artist and competition judge, Ben Askem commented ‘it was wonderful to see the reflections of houses being animal print, Leonardo linked both briefs!’
Leonardo was delighted and full of smiles as parents and teachers looked on with pride as he received his trophy along with the £250 prize. Leonardo attends Cunningham Hill Primary School and teachers stepped forward to accept the £1000 cheque on behalf of the school’s art department.
Phil Corrigan commented “I would like to congratulate everyone who took part in the competition, as you can imagine we had a very difficult time choosing the winners. The awards evening was fabulous, and it was great to see all our winners together”. Phil went on to say, “I hope this competition inspires students to think about art and it’s great to see such a variety of art and design in St Albans schools”.
Maltings Shopping Centre would like to thank children and teachers at our participating schools for their entries and support of this competition.
Participating Schools:
Cunningham Hill Primary School, Abbey CofE Primary School, Sandringham School, Loreto College, Sauncey Wood Primary School, Maple School, Nicholas Breakspear School, St Columba’s College Prep School, Wheatfields Junior School.
Phil Corrigan added, “Well done to all these schools for taking part and inspiring the amazing young people to get involved. Congratulations to our winners for 2022 and a huge thank you to all the children and their teachers. We are delighted that so many people have been inspired by this competition and look forward to the Maltings Art Prize 2023!”