“Life-changing” opportunity for artists and photographers

ARTISTS and photographers across the North West are being offered a “life-changing” opportunity with this year’s Warrington Contemporary Arts Festival Open.  
Now in its eighth year, the annual competition invites people living or working within a 50-mile radius of Warrington to submit their best work in the hope of being crowned the winner and bagging a solo exhibition and a substantial cash prize.
This year, the ever-popular competition has a twist – entries in both the art and photography fields will now go head-to-head for their chance to win a £2,000 prize, as Culture Warrington – the charity that runs Warrington Contemporary Arts Festival, Warrington Museum & Art Gallery and Pyramid and Parr Hall – raises the stakes.
Cultural manager Martina Murphy, is eager to encourage entries from amateur and professional artists and photographers alike.
She said:  “This year we’re determined to make Warrington Contemporary Arts Festival better than ever before, and by increasing the cash prize to £2,000, we’re hoping to attract some of the very best artists and photographers the North West has to offer.
“This is also a really great opportunity to reach out to emerging talent across the area.  Supporting young and aspiring artists is a central part of what we do here at Culture Warrington, and this is just one of the ways we can help fledgling artists take their first steps towards an exciting new career.”
The month-long festival is set to bring some of the most talked-about names in the art world to Warrington in a contemporary cocktail of visual, digital and performing arts.
At the heart of this celebration is the festival’s flagship art and photography exhibition, which will be on display at Warrington Museum Art Gallery between Friday ,September 28 and Sunday, November 11 .
Winner of the 2012 competition David Foster is pleased to see the competition return, and believes it is a fantastic opportunity for emerging artists to kick-start a successful career.
He said: “I would encourage any amateur artist in the region to enter this competition – it could possibly be life changing.
“I first entered in 2011 as an amateur artist dabbling in a unique medium. I was so thrilled just to be accepted and to attend an exhibition opening night with my work on the wall.
“I entered again in 2012 and it was an amazing experience to be announced the winner! That gave me encouragement to pursue my technique – and you have to because the prize is to hold your own exhibition the following year!
“Since holding my prize-winning exhibition in Warrington in 2013, I have never looked back. I have just finished my ninth solo exhibition in a gallery in Cheltenham. I have sold over 50 works all over the world, and I am looking forward to my next exhibition, in which I am “coming home”. For the first time since turning professional, I will have a solo exhibition close to home in Lymm.”
So for the chance to embark on the next step of your career, enter the 2018 competition now at http://warringtonartsfestival.co.uk. The deadline for submissions is Sunday, September2. The winner will be announced on the opening night of the exhibition on Friday September 28..