Emerging outdoor artists are invited to submit their work for consideration to the the 2021 British National Sculpture Prize (NSP) which was founded by Rinus and Aniet van de Sande in 2009 to inspire, motivate and support emerging artists living in the UK.
Eleven years on the prize continues to represent the UK’s premier platform for emerging sculptors to showcase their talents by having their work publicly displayed alongside established artists at the Broomhill Sculpture Gardens in North Devon.
The theme for this year’s prize is Out-thinking the Future.
Ten artists selected for the shortlist and will be awarded £2,500 each to create a sculpture which will be displayed at the Broomhill Estate in Devon for 1 year and two winners will be chosen from the initial shortlist of ten.
The first, decided by a panel of distinguished experts, will be awarded a £10,000 cash prize plus a £5,000 investment in an additional original sculpture. A further “People’s Choice” winner decided by popular vote will win £5,000.
The NSP has established itself as a cornerstone of the fine arts ecosystem, supporting and elevating emerging outdoor artists by providing a platform for new talent. In a change to previous years, the competition is open to all aspiring sculptors and no longer requires applicants to have attended an art school.
Now under the ownership the Broomhill Estate is entering a new chapter and will build on the reputation honed over the past 24 years by continuing and expanding its mission to support the arts. Broomhill Estate’s new owners, Frictionless Fine Arts Limited, will continue to host the competition annually to encourage and commend new and emerging artists.
Frictionless founder and CEO Alex F. Kleiner III explains: “We have a bold and innovative vision to evolve Broomhill Estate as a preeminent sanctuary for fine arts, broadly defined. The first signal of our commitment to this vision is in affirming our annual sponsorship of the NSP and immediately tripling the purse to a whopping £45,000. It is also our sincere pleasure to name the judge’s prize after its creators, Rinus and Aniet van de Sande. The future of fine arts in the UK is frictionless!”
Registration is now open; deadline to register is 28 February 2021