Young Masters 2019 Call for Artists is now open!

Contemporary artists working in any medium and from anywhere in the world are invited to apply for the 2019 edition of the Young Masters Art Prize, and for the Young Masters Maylis Grand Ceramics Prize. This year marks the 10th anniversary of this international initiative.

The Young Masters Art Prize is a not-for-profit initiative founded in 2009 by Gallerist Cynthia Corbett to give a platform to both emerging and established artists who pay homage to the skill and innovation of the Old Masters and art of the past. Since its launch in 2009, the Prize has established itself as a significant international project and has attracted critical and public acclaim. In 2014, the Young Masters Maylis Grand Ceramics Prize was introduced to celebrate excellence in contemporary ceramics.

Artists applying for both the Young Masters Art Prize and Young Masters Maylis Grand Ceramics Prize must show an exceptional understanding of their creative medium alongside an awareness of art of the past. For the ceramics prize, they must also demonstrate an awareness of the heritage of ceramic craft, which can be interpreted in the broadest international sense. The closing date for entry is 31 May 2019.

The winner of the main Young Masters Art Prize will receive an award of £1,500, and there will be two Highly Commended Awards of £500, courtesy of the Artists’ Collecting Society (ACS).  The ceramics prize is £1,000 with Highly Commended Award of £500, both sponsored by James and Maylis Grand. There will also be an award, sponsored by Dr Chis Blatchley, of £1,000 for an emerging woman artist, who will also receive career mentoring and exhibition opportunities from The Cynthia Corbett Gallery. To mark the 10th anniversary, for the first time there will be a £500 People’s Choice Award, sponsored by longstanding Young Masters partner Brownhill Insurance.

Artists shortlisted for both strands of the Young Masters Art Prize will be selected by independent judging panels comprising influential names from the creative worlds. For the main prize, the panel will include critic Godfrey Barker, art historian Jean Wainwright and founder of the Bridgeman Art Library and Managing Director of the Artists’ Collecting Society (ACS), Lady Harriet Bridgeman, CBE. The judging panel for the Young Masters Maylis Grand Ceramics Prize comprises: collector Preston Fitzgerald; ceramics patron Maylis Grand; Director of New Art Centre - Roche Court, Stephen Feeke; the Crafts Council’s Daniella Wells and founder of Cultural Agenda, Davina Weir-Willats.

The shortlist will be announced in June, with an exhibition of their work taking place at La Galleria, Royal Opera Arcade in London’s St James’s in October during Frieze Week. The winner will be announced on 1 October 2019 at a prize ceremony held during the exhibition. 

Artists wishing to apply can do so through the Young Masters Art Prize website https://www.young-masters.co.uk/apply The closing date for entry is 31 May 2019.