The Northern School of Art‘s Foundation Art Prize is inviting entries for its 2025 competition for young Tees Valley and North East creatives.

Launching on Monday 13 January 2025, the exciting opportunity for 16-18 year old artists offers a £250 cash prize for the winner with two runners-up prizes of £50 vouchers for creative materials. New for the 2025 prize is a £100 for the winner’s school to purchase art materials.

A wide range of artistic and creative areas are welcomed and entries are encouraged in all types of media from those aged 16-18 working in any discipline living in the Tees Valley and North East regions of England.

Overseen by the UAL Foundation Diploma in Art & Design course based at the School’s Middlesbrough campus, the prize is designed to inspire and showcase artistic excellence in a variety of media. This year’s judging panel includes one of the 2024 Tees Valley Artists of the Year Claire A. Baker, alongside members of the UAL Foundation Diploma staff and the Vice Principal for Further Education.

Claire commented: ““I was absolutely blown away to be asked to judge this prize. It is a very exciting, but certainly difficult, responsibility that I will take very seriously indeed.”

To reflect the individualism of the School’s Foundation course, the programme’s staff are looking for a wide diversity of work to be submitted for The Foundation Art Prize: from the wild and wonderful, to the intricate and the beautiful – we are looking forward to seeing it!

The competition runs until midnight on Thursday 1 May 2025. Submissions are open to Tees Valley and North East-based creatives aged 16 to 18 years old.

An exhibition of work by shortlisted entrants will be held at the School’s prestigious Summer Show at its campus in Newport Road, Middlesbrough from Wednesday 11 to Wednesday 18 June 2025.

Foundation Art Prize 2024 reception

Foundation Art Prize 2024 finalists work on display

Josh Pine, Foundation Art Prize 2024 winner

Some of the finalists of The Foundation Art Prize 2024

Competition Highlights:

• Eligibility: Open to 16-18-year-olds living in the Tees Valley and North East region of England.
• Prizes:
  • First Prize: £250 cash and a £100 voucher for the winner’s school to purchase art materials
  • Runners-Up: Two £50 vouchers for creative materials
• Exhibition Opportunity: The winner and shortlisted candidates may be invited to showcase their work at the prestigious Summer Show at the Middlesbrough campus.
• Key Dates:
  • Competition Launch: 12:00pm on Monday 12 January 2025
  • Submission Deadline: 11:59pm on Thursday 1 May 2025
  • Shortlist Notification: By Friday 31 May 2025
  • Winner Announcement: At the Summer Show opening night on Wednesday 11 June 2025
• How to Enter: Submissions are to be made via the official online submission form, accessible HERE. Entrants must include:
  • Name
  • Address
  • Contact Email
  • Phone Number
  • Social Media Handles (if applicable)
  • Confirmation of Age (16-18 as of 1st March 2025)
  • Title and Short Description of the Artwork (including inspiration)
  • Upload of Artwork Image (or video for multimedia submissions)
• Submission Guidelines:
  • All work must be original and created by the entrant.
  • Acceptable formats include digital images (JPEG, PNG) or videos (MP4). Images must be at least 300 DPI resolution, and videos should not exceed 2 minutes in length. Artwork dimensions should not exceed 100cm x 100cm for physical pieces if required later for exhibition.
  • Do not send original physical artwork at the initial submission stage.
  • Entries should not include work submitted for GCSEs, A-levels, or other academic assessments.
  • Only one entry per person is allowed.
  • There is no entry fee.

Terms and Conditions:

1. Eligibility: The competition is open to individuals aged 16-18 who reside in the Tees Valley and North East region.
2. Prizes: The first prize is £250 cash and a £100 voucher for the winner’s school to purchase art materials. Two runners-up will receive £50 vouchers for creative materials. These are non-transferable and cannot be exchanged for cash.
3. Judging: The judging panel will include Tees Valley Artist of the Year and long-time friend of the School, Claire A. Baker, alongside members of the UAL Foundation Diploma staff and the Vice-Principal for Further Education.
4. Artwork: Submitted work must not violate UK laws or moral standards. The School reserves the right to exclude any entry deemed unsuitable.
5. Permissions: Entrants retain copyright of their work but grant the School permission to use submitted images in promotional materials.  Any additional photography or video involving entrants will require explicit consent.
6. Privacy: Personal information will be handled securely in compliance with GDPR guidelines.
7. Appeals: Appeals will be reviewed by the Vice-Principal for Further Education, with unresolved matters referred to the Principalship Team.
8. Contact Information: The competition is organised by The Northern School of Art, Newport Road, Middlesbrough, TS1 1LA. For any queries, please visit our website, contact us via the competition’s submission form or email the team at artprize@northernart.ac.uk

We look forward to celebrating the creativity of young artists and designers in the Tees Valley and North East. Good luck!