02 Oct 2023
The winners of the 2023 Maltings Art Prize were revealed at a prize-giving ceremony celebrating the artists of the future.
Around 180 guests, including finalists, parents and teachers, attended the community-inspired awards evening.
The art competition, which was based around the themes of ‘Natural Form’ and ‘Literature’, saw school pupils aged 4-18 years compete for the chance to win a cash prize of £1,000 for their school’s art department and a £250 cash prize for the overall winner.
The winning students from each of the groups were presented with trophies and all finalists received a medal.
The competition saw more than 700 entries by 11 local schools and 50 works were shortlisted by a panel of judges including: Phil Corrigan, centre manager of The Maltings Shopping Centre, Steph Benbow, chair of St Albans Art Society and Ben Askem, local artist and owner of a working studio and gallery in the High Street, St Albans.
The awards evening was opened and presented by Phil Corrigan of the Maltings and the winners were announced by Mix 92.6 presenters Faye Penfold and Cherie Button.
* Age 5-7 years: Group 5 winner: Ryan Marcano, St Columba’s College Prep School;
* Age 7-10 years: Group 4 ceramics winner: Torran Richies, St Columba’s College Prep School;
* Age 7- 10 years: Group 4 winner: Duaa El Battioui, Maple Primary School;
* Age 10-13 years: Group 3 winner: Olivia Mason, St Albans Girls School (STAGS);
* Age 13-16 years: Group 2 winner: Eva Saltrese, St Albans Girls School (STAGS);
* Age 16-18 years: Group 1 winner: Jamie Lynn Pick, St Albans Girls School (STAGS).
Eva Saltrese’s use and application of colour and texture wowed the judges and earned her the place of Overall Winner with her stunning painting entitled ‘Seascape’.
She said afterwards: “I’m very excited. I had no idea I would win. I knew theme was the natural form and thought water would be the most challenging thing to paint. But my first effort was ruined as I left the window open and it was rained on.”
Mum Jemma said: “We’re just so proud. We were overwhelmed by how beautiful her painting was. She paints and draws every day. I think she uses it as a sort of escapism.”
Dad Rob added: “It’s so emotional, I’m a wet blanket! Art is so important to her. She’s been drawing since she was tiny.”
Local artist and competition judge, Ben Askem said: “The more I looked at this piece of artwork the better it got! The detail and use of colour is inspiring.”
Eva’s teachers from St Albans Girls School stepped forward to accept the £1,000 cheque on behalf of the school’s art department.
Phil Corrigan said: “I would like to congratulate everyone who took part in the competition, as you can imagine we had a very difficult time choosing the winners. The awards evening was fabulous, and it was great to see all our winners together.
“I hope this competition inspires students to think about art, it’s great to see such a variety of art and design in St Albans schools. We also received a fabulous selection of ceramics this year too, having a passion for ceramics myself I was particularly inspired to see these entries.”
“Maltings Shopping Centre would like to thank children and teachers at our participating schools for their entries and support of this competition.”
Participating schools: Cunningham Hill Primary School, Cunningham Hill Junior School, St Albans Girls School, Sandringham School, Loreto College, Sauncey Wood Primary School, Maple School, Nicholas Breakspear School, St Columba’s College Prep School, Samuel Ryder Academy, Wheatfields Junior School.
Phil added: “Well done to all these schools for taking part and inspiring the amazing young people to get involved. Congratulations to our winners for 2023 and a huge thank you to all the children and their teachers. We are delighted that so many people have been inspired by this competition and look forward to the Maltings Art Prize 2024!”
The awards evening was hosted at the Maltings Theatre which has been a part of St Albans’ cultural scene for the past 30 years, building a rich heritage and providing a home for scores of live performances. OVO has breathed new life into this cultural venue and re-established its presence and reputation as a regional and national theatre of quality and distinction.
All photos by John Andrews.
