Holt Festival Art Prize 2015 Announced

Holt Festival has announced that entry is now open for this year's Holt Festival Art Prize.

The Holt Festival Art Prize is open to artists everywhere. In past years artists from all over the UK have submitted work. There is a cash prize of £1,500 and in addition the winning artwork will be exhibited at Norwich's prestigious Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts in the autumn.

The deadline for entries is midnight Sunday 28 June. Judges will select a shortlist of 20-30 that will be exhibited at the Auden Theatre, Holt from 20-26 July.

The winner will be announced at a private view on 19 July. The exhibition is part of the Holt Festival Art Trail that also takes in other galleries and exhibition spaces around the town.

Last year's competition attracted another extremely high standard of entries. The winner of the prize and its attendant cheque for £1,500 was Norfolk born Francesca Perkins with her oil on board painting Taking Water Home. At the time actor Sir John Hurt, one of the 2014 judges said 'This is a very painterly work by a very fine artist who is undoubtedly going to increase in stature. I expect her reputation to grow and spread, her work is already of the very highest standard.'

This year's judges are Amanda Geitner, Chief Curator at The Sainsbury Centre, art dealer Nic Tyler and Norfolk 'Pop' artist Coilin Self. Colin was hailed as one of the most original Pop Artists when he arrived on the international scene in the early 60s. He not only celebrated modern consumer culture but addressed the darker side of the Swinging Sixties, cold war politics.

International Art Appraiser and Holt Festival Art Prize organizer James Glennie commented 'Last year I was once again delighted at the standard of entries which really does seem to get higher each year. It will be a tough job for that standard to rise even higher this year but I'm really looking forward to seeing the entries'.

Entry forms can be downloaded from www.holtfestival.org/art_prize <http://www.holtfestival.org/art_prize>

The 2015 Holt Festival runs from 19 - 26 July and is acknowledged as the leading new festival in north Norfolk. The charming Norfolk Georgian country town comes alive for an exuberant week of international music, drama, visual art, dance, comedy, cinema, kids shows and workshops. The full programme will be announced later this month.

The Holt Festival Art Prize:
Closing date for submissions midnight Sunday 28 June,
Winner announced on Sunday 19 July at The Ben Nicholson Gallery, Cromer Rd, Holt, Norfolk, NR25 6EA
Winners and shortlisted entries will be exhibited 20- 26 July