Saatchi Gallery Announces Winners for Deutsche Bank Art Prize For Schools 2016

London, 4 March 2016: The Saatchi Gallery is delighted to announce the winners of the 2016 Saatchi Gallery / Deutsche Bank Art Prize for Schools.

Na-Young Kim,7 years old, from Let's Art Youth Art Centre Korea, won the Primary School category for her mixed media artwork A Couple. A group of eight students- Elia Nikoletta, Hampiaouris Christos, Mouskis Giorgos, Vasilis Vasiliou, Haralampous Christos, Panagiotis Panagiotou, Annita Gianni and Valma Loukia, 16-18 years, from St Loucas Kolossi High School in Cyprus were awarded first place in the Secondary School category for their sculpture Immigrants.Both category winners received £1,000 and their respective schools' art departments were awarded £5,000 each to spend on art and computer equipment.

The overall winner is the group of eight students from Cyprus, who were awarded an additional £2,000 and collected a further £10,000 for their school.

The winners were announced by Alistair Hicks, Deutsche Bank's Senior Art Curator at an exclusive reception at the Saatchi Gallery in London on 3 March, 2016.

The panel of judges this year includes Alistair Hicks, Senior Curator for Deutsche Bank; Nigel Hurst, CEO of the Saatchi Gallery; Jeremy Newton, CEO of Children & the Arts; Alastair Sooke, Art Critic and Broadcaster, The Telegraph and BBC and Julia Wachtel, Artist whose work is currently on display at the Saatchi Gallery as part of the exhibition Champagne Life.

Artist and Judge Julia Wachtel said: "I am very impressed with the level of focus, commitment and integrity of these young artists. Whether addressing the social and environmental crises of our time, or exploring a more personal and interior space, these artists have demonstrated a maturity beyond their years. They have produced beautiful and compelling artworks. Congratulations to all."

The support of Deutsche Bank has enabled the Saatchi Gallery to offer tailored artist-led workshops to pupils from schools where the need is greatest. The workshops increase pupils' understanding of fine art processes and provide the opportunity to work with specialist art materials, helping pupils to explore and realise their creative potential. This year, artist-led Continued Professional Development (CPD) workshops were introduced for art teachers from these schools. The workshops aim to support art teachers who are working with limited resources by providing space, time, solutions and ideas to approaching art making, and ultimately serve to open up the Schools Prize to students from all educational backgrounds.

Jeremy Newton commented, "I was absolutely amazed by the ambition of the artists and the thought provoking nature of their works. Seeing how these young artists have engaged with the world around them, their creativity and sheer ingenuity gave me a thrill, a buzz and a sense of wonder. It's inspiring, and of course, incredibly pleasing to see such raw and exciting talent within our schools. Congratulations to the winners, who truly deserve their prize."

The Saatchi Gallery has a 30-year-long history of supporting emerging artists and bringing contemporary art to as wide an audience as possible. The Saatchi Gallery/ Deutsche Bank Art Prize for Schools aims to support and encourage budding young artists by providing them with a platform to showcase their work, and giving them the confidence to consider a career in the arts.

The 20 shortlisted entries are exhibited from 4 March-9March at the Saatchi Gallery, Duke of York's Sq, King's Road, London SW3 4RY. Entry to the exhibition is free.