Student Art Prize

Student Art Prize  

Durham University’s annual Student Art Prize was launched in October 2019 to expand opportunities around the visual arts within the University and to develop a new permanent student art collection.  

Although Durham does not formally teach fine art, almost every University college has its own active art society or art group. Within these groups, students take part in workshops, meet artists, and develop their artistic skills through collaborative creativity.  

The Student Art Prize launches in November each year, with the deadline for submissions in February the following year. Each year, a new prize theme is chosen to allow a wide range of exploration and conceptualisation, and offers students a professional platform in which to develop and exhibit their practice. The prize additionally offers the opportunity for student artwork to be accessioned into the university art collection, where it will be used for research, teaching and display, both within the university and externally, in perpetuity. Prizes for the Student Art Prize include cash awards and art supplies gift vouchers. 

Accompanying the Student Art Prize is the ‘Art School Art School’; a programme offering opportunities for student artists to engage with the theme, expand their practice and support their development as artists. As part of the Art School, we have commissioned and collaborated with regional artists, practitioners and arts educators to create a programme of freely accessible talks, workshops and downloadable resources for both students and the wider public to engage with.