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the Winners 2024
Congratulations to all of our winners and finalists in 2024 and a massive thank you to everyone who took part, sponsored, attended and helped.
Runner up: Jessica Clark - This project overall was created throughout my final months at Norwich university of the Arts. Taking all I have learnt from my illustration degree to form a project that encapsulates my visual identity to a point. I am a photomontage artist who uses mark making and texture to build my digital illustrations- this has been used in all aspects of my projects, from making editorial illustrations to making silly satirical illustrations that might get a laugh across as well as the important stuff (the news.)
The award for
Visual arts
Winner:
Solomon Awuni
"These three pieces are a good representation of the art I want to make and plan to make. They are the culmination of years of practice and experimentation, with every aspect of these paintings being carefully planned and thought about.
My work aims to story tell and represent the emotions of black men, which I find is underrepresented. It is my goal to share the experiences of these individuals, whose stories are never told and who struggle with emotional expression as a result of social expectations.
I Began these pieces by priming with a thick coat of gesso and using my brush to manipulating the texture creating a pattern felt and seen in certain areas of the pieces, this was to add extra layer of meaning and expression of emotion, with broad chaotic brush strokes and more calm strokes representing different emotional states. I painted the face putting a lot of details in some places like the eyes and less detail in other places to create areas of focus. I Infused the highlights and shadows with colour to add another layer of expression using medium to thin down the shadows to do so. Lastly, I like to paint the background abstractly and loose with a lot of colour.
With each painting colour harmony was well thought out with the use of various colours but a strong thematic scheme being used. The type of brush strokes used was also well thought out, using a variety of strokes to create depth.
I have so many ideas in mind and a big vision, however I lack guidance and direction and hope this award can help me develop my craft."
Runner-up:
Jessica Clark
Highly commended:
Daisy Campbell
Rollo Timothy George
Freya Willis
The award for
FASHION &Textiles
Winner:
Stella Shykolenko
"Mandala of Life’ is a capsule collection which creates an unlimited number of
outfits from 12 garments and 2 accessories. Also, any of these individual
elements can fit into any established wardrobe. The collection does not have a
gender or a season. It contains a diverse range of garments, from short-sleeved
tops to outerwear. The structure provides adaptability for any weather and
season. Moreover, the garments are built from simple silhouettes and enhanced
with a range of fabrics and colours. The non-seasonal garments can be worn for
longer and passed to others to prolong their lifecycle and bind new stories with
them.
The collection 'Mandala of Life' is based on ancient theories of world structure
and explores the idea of interlinking. One of the sources of inspiration for the
collection was Ancient Greek and Japanese theories on elements. In Ancient
Greece people described that the world was created from four elements. Such as
fire, air, earth and water. The Japanese one is called Godai and supplements the
Greek theory with the fifth element. It has many translations, such as void,
unlimited space, or sky. Both of the theories base the process of life creation on
the ideas of connection of various elements.
The collection development started by sourcing secondary images associated
with four elements. I used the unique characteristics of each element to create
illustrations. During the process, I was fascinated by how each of them
overlapped and engaged in our daily lives. Nevertheless, they built a common
theme in the collection. I produced textile collages for each of them to gain
inspiration for the silhouettes of the garments. I worked with previously
developed silhouettes from my sketchbook in Procreate to create more complex
outfits.
Through the personal lens of worldview, I associate the fifth element with
inclusivity to differences, which initiates space for creativity. It is essential to
leave space around us and in our minds to allow something new to evolve. The
open field invites various people and their experiences, which allows them to
freely engage and collaborate. It is essential to be open to the differences of
others and to learn from them.
In the age of globalisation and overconsumption we, as a human society, forgot
about our roots and the stories about them. I created this collection to spread a
message of how everything originally was created from differences. Each of the
four elements contains opposite properties to each other. Nevertheless, they
celebrated their differences and created something bigger than themselves."
Joint runner-up:
Amelia Biggs
May Gauntlett
Highly commended:
Isabel Davis
Alice Page
Rosie Crompton
Runner up: Amelia Biggs - This draws in from the inspiration of horror cinema in my work - looking at alien creatures and incorporating their uncanny visuals into my costume, such as in using the imagery of this animal that defies its natural state of being. For the textile and physical style of the costume, I was inspired by steampunk fashion and how it incorporates the positive sides of invention and the industrial age - developing its popular motifs such as cogs, clockwork, lace, etc and implementing those in my costume. This variety of inspiration is shown throughout the costume, from the steampunk lace and gears, to the techniques used to create such - for example the aged, industrial-style rust-dyeing and the clay/plaster formed mask, plastic vacuumed to present the uncanny aspect.
Runner up: May Gauntlett - Creating this concept for this project was based on my idea of how society sees disabilities and continues on to how others in the disabled community have noticed the same issues. I am known as a colourful individual. This is something that is always commented on during hospital appointments. Comment on the phrase, "I don't think we have this in yellow". I am a person who relies on both daily living aids and my mobility aids, But these items are usually grey or various shades of grey. But why? Being disabled and using aids is not something we should have to hide!
Runner up: Christopher Wayland - In my final term at NUA studying animation, I wanted to create a short film which conveys the difficulties of procrastination and time blindness, a serious message over the light-hearted backdrop of stop motion. The medium of stop-motion is, in my opinion, the perfect way to reach an audience of all ages and since my film has no dialogue, it overcomes language barriers. Whilst it is a self-reflective piece, it was important to me to make the film as relatable as possible since the problems it highlights effect people from all reaches of life and all backgrounds.
The award for
FILM
WinnER:
EMMERSON NEW
‘Shuck’ was my graduate film, made last year, from the animation course at Edinburgh College of Art. I’ve always loved folklore and fantasy, and had been thinking a lot about East Anglia as I knew I would be returning back home at the end of the year, so decided to make the film inspired by two black dog legends - Black Shuck and Church Grims. Black Shuck is your usual black dog legend- an omen of death out on the fields, hidden in shadows, and is most well known for sightings in Bungay and Blythbourough. Church Grims are known in England and across Scandinavia, coming from the old belief that the first to be buried in a new graveyard would remain there in spirit to guide all the following buried souls to the afterlife. To avoid this fate falling on the shoulders of a human soul, communities would bury an animal first instead- often it would be a dog. So the character of Shuck became a sort of hybrid of these two pieces of folklore. ‘Shuck’ became a film about one character’s journey of grieving herself and Shuck’s experience of loneliness - saying goodbye to each soul again and again.
I made the film in the animation studios at Edinburgh with stop-motion puppets I made myself (using twisted wire armature, wood, foam, clay and textiles). The set was very limited with a greenscreen backdrop and fake fur as dried out grass. I love texture in any art I make and think it’s even more important when the piece is about folklore! It should feel real and touchable - like you can pass it from hand to hand like the stories have been passed from person to person, or voice to voice. So stop-motion was the only way to make this film for me, and I loved it.
Runner-up:
Christopher Wayland
Highly commended:
India Riley
Natalie Jaromin
Anushka Sinha
Runner up: Lydia Cass - This song is an original piece called “the grey” it speaks on the experience of struggling mental health seen by a peer. This song comes from personal experience of seeing loved ones really struggle with their mental health, and i wanted to write something that expresses that they are seen. I wrote the song in one sitting, just letting everything I was thinking come onto the page. To me this song is a comfort, knowing that I am seen, and that I can see what others are going through too. I am a strong advocate for mental health, having struggled for years and witnessed the effects on so many different people. The Grey has helped me to express the feeling of seeing someone struggle while knowing exactly what they're feeling too, it's a very empathetic song, which can touch anyone who has gone through similar circumstances.
Runner up: Hugo Dimoglou - My biggest inspiration for this song was being out in nature, from the local woods outside my house to enjoying the view from Mousehold Heath. I would listen to the birds and the natural sounds of everything around me and then channel interesting things I'd heard and seen into my music. Staying connected with nature was important to me so that despite my music being composed of mainly electronic elements my song could keep a natural feel to it.
The award for
Music
Winner:
gabby rivers
"Ever since I was younger, starting out music professionally at the age of 13, I always had goals and manifestations that I wanted to complete in my musical career. One of them was to be played on radio 1 and another one was to live with my band at some point. In October of 2023 both of those manifestations became a reality when I moved to my favorite city in the world, Norwich and had my track "Two face” played on radio 1. It was a very big and important time in my life. I had a old best friend of mine message me, she had fallen out of contact with me after we finished school and I was gutted about it, but after 3 years of barely any contact, the day I got played on radio 1 she messaged me, and it confused me and upset me, I knew the only way for me to get over the situation was so write about it.
At the end of October me and my band/housemates had our first ever flat argument (over something ridiculous like the dishwasher) after our debate, stan my bass player mentioned how he had come up with a really cool guitar part (this was the main guitar part for dig me) before we knew it, the next day we had a demo, I wrote the lyrics in 30 minutes, it felt like I had healed from the situation. Then in November we performed it live many times, practicing away, booked in the studio time for January along with all of the promo bits, went to london to record the track for a day in January, where we had so much fun and then it went straight into mixing and mastering. I had the most fun creating this track and learnt so much from it.
I would say the inspiration behind the song is definitely two parts, the healing process of getting over a ex best friend and then also some artists who have inspired my music lately Wolf alice, Olivia rodgrigo, Nothing but thieves and Paramore."
Joint runner-up:
Hugo Dimoglou
Lydia Cass
Highly commended:
Wen Tao Liu
Tafari Golding
Maple Ward
The award for
performance
Winner:
miss froufrou
"For the performance award I have presented a piece of work I am very proud of, which is a lip sync performance of the song ‘Baddest Bitch Alive’ by Todrick Hall. I choreographed the piece, and performed as my drag persona ‘Miss Frou Frou’, and is a piece I thoroughly enjoyed creating and performing."
Runner-up:
Isabelle Brown
Highly commended:
Korben White
Lily Hyland
Callum Adkins
Runner up: Isabelle Brown - The song reflects on the past leading up to now, asking the question “how did we come to this” singing about struggle, sacrifice and progression, but not regretting the past. This message resonates with me as I am about to start a new chapter of my performing journey. The lyrics inspire me, with the messgae that this is only the beginning, making me reflect on how far I have progressed as a performer, starting off my journey unsure, unconfident and self conscious and getting to the stage I am today embracing my individuality and believing in myself, wanting to spend every second on the stage. This song gives me the platform to express this journey I have been on, empowering me and my experiences.
The award for
writing
Winner:
chloe yates
"The catalyst for this story was the real-life experience of having my bike stolen, and the unexpected tidal wave of anger and grief that this unleashed. I wanted to write a piece that stares into the eyes of the overwhelming, searing pain that the world has to offer – stolen bikes and devastated landscapes and premature babies wrapped together to keep each other warm – whilst simultaneously holding tight to the brilliant, beautiful things this world also has to offer."
Runner-up:
Michael Athey
Highly commended:
Lily Fitzgerald
Nina Sumerling
Indigo Douglas
you saw me approaching
you saw me pass the bowling green and breach the marram
you saw me descend the dunes how i stumbled down the slope
you saw each grain of sand fill my unsuitable trainers
you saw my uneven gait straighten as i went from loose sand to compact
you saw me even though charcoal was choking the night
you saw me even though you have no eyes
Extract from STAG ROCK written by Michael Athey
Runner up: Michael Athey - The main inspiration behind this piece comes from my home region, Northumberland. Stag Rock is a real-life landmark in Bamburgh. It is a white Stag painted onto a crag leading into the sea, however there is no definitive explanation as to why this Stag is painted there. This mystery proved to be an adrenaline shot of inspiration.