AWARDS
THIS YEAR'S THEMED CATEGORY IS 'Forgiveness'
Chosen by Jude Kelly OBE, artistic director of Southbank Centre, who will judge this category. Find out more about the different Koestler Award categories
NAME AN AWARD
From as little as £5 a month for a Commended Award, to our top Scholarship Award which offers talented offender artists 10 mentoring sessions with a professional artist, naming an Award can be one of the most direct and satisfying ways to get involved with the Koestler Trust.
More about naming an award
Mint Choc Chip
HMP & Young Offender Institution Parc, Rethinking Recycling Under 18s Special Award 2011, Recycling or Papier Mache
2013 Awards
The official Awards deadline has now passed, but if you still have some great work to submit get in touch and we'll see if we can accept it.
Download the application form (pdf) and the Guidance Notes (pdf)
TIMELINE
- Jan
- Feb
- March
- April
- May
- June & July
- August
- Sept
- October
- Nov
- December
- February
ARROW IN THE BLUE | The Koestler Exhibition for the West Midlands | 19 Jan – 24 March 2013
All 2012 entries returned, except a selection kept for further exhibition or sale until Sept 2013
The establishment with the most entries to reach us by this date will receive £300 for arts resources.
ARROW IN THE BLUE | The Koestler Exhibition for the West Midlands | 19 Jan – 24 March 2013
SECURE | The Koestler Exhibition for Wales | 11 March – 26 May 2013 | Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff
SECURE | The Koestler Exhibition for Wales | 11 March – 26 May 2013 | Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff
Results published on the website
Sales money sent out
All entries returned, except a selection kept for further exhibition or sale until Sep 2014
ABOUT THE
AWARDS
The Koestler Trust has been running the awards programme for offenders, secure patients and detainees for 50 years.
The aims of the awards include:
- A positive goal towards which inmates can strive.
- A means of acquiring and practising new skills, and often discovering unrecognised talent.
- An outlet for creative energies and emotions.
- Recognition of achievements.
- Encouragement to continue in the arts and education.
West Side
HMP Ashfield, Lady Bishopston Gold Award 2011, Watercolour
Displays Of Work Throughout The Year
Some work is selected to be shown in displays in a wide range of public spaces including offices, restaurants and prison visit halls.
Pencil Sharpening Ring - HM Prison Peterborough, Rethinking Recycling Highly Commended Award for Recycling or Papier Mache
HOW TO ENTER
The Awards offer a great chance for entrants to get their creative work seen or heard, get feedback, sell work, and to share in over £30,000 of prizes.
ARTFORMS
The awards cover 58 diverse artforms including, beauty, fiction, oil or acrylic, singer-songwriter, magazine journalism and drama.
View the list
PRIZES
Every entrant receives a participation certificate and recognition for their work. We give over 1,500 awards a year, total prize money worth over £30,000, with most winners receiving a cash prize.
Find out more about the prizes
JUDGES
Two new confirmed judges for 2013 are the artist Sarah Lucas and the V&A Museum.
This year's high profile judges also include Turner-prize winning artists Grayson Perry and Jeremy Deller and ceramicist Emma Bridgewater, amongst lots of other great artists and art professionals.
More on the Judges
PAST AWARDS
We have selected some images that we hope will be an inspiration and a celebration of some of the talented artists who have have submitted their work for a Koestler Award in the past.
View the selection
Mis-Spent Youth
Bracknell Probation Service, GEO Harmondsworth IRC Platinum Award 2011, Sculpture
Get your artwork out there!
Major exhibition at the Southbank Centre in London
We show a selection of the entries to the public at our annual UK exhibition, which
attracts around 20,000 visitors. This takes place in autumn 2013 at Royal Festival
Hall, Southbank Centre - one of the most famous arts venues in the world. As
well as work exhibited on the gallery walls, the UK exhibition will include readings, performances, film showings and a special event for entrants' families.
More on the Exhibitions
Regional and National Exhibitions
As well as the UK exhibition at Southbank Centre the Trust holds shows of local artwork in certain areas each year. This gives work in those areas an extra chance to be seen, win awards and sell. In the 2013 Awards year we plan to hold exhibitions in Scotland (with Tramway in Glasgow), the North East (withThe Gallery at Gateshead Library and BALTIC) and the North West.
