Ashurst and Oaktree & Tiger has announced the launch of the fifth annual Ashurst Emerging Artist Prize, a major global prize for emerging artists. To celebrate their fifth year the prize has announced new guest judges, new expert speakers to appear as part of their talks series and has further announcements to be released shortly. The winner, selected by a judging panel of eminent art experts, collectors and art critics, will receive a £3,000 cash prize and a solo exhibition in the Ashurst Emerging Artists Gallery in London, with the winner of the sculpture prize receiving a £1,500 cash award and a solo exhibition of their work.

Employee choice

There is also the Employee Choice Award of £1,000, chosen by Ashurst employees. This year Josh McNorton, head of programming at Rich Mix, joins the panel as a guest judge. Mr McNorton is a creative producer, festival director, arts programmer and curator. He will be joined by art collector Tim Sayer. David Anfam, who specialises in abstract expressionism and is senior consulting curator at the Clyfford Still Museum and director of its Research Centre, will join the main panel this year. He will be joined by returning judges David Bellingham, senior lecturer at Sotheby’s Institute of Art, director of the Schorr Collection Howard Lewis, art critic and writer Aindrea Emelife and Ashurst Partner Anna Delgado.

Global entries

The prize is also supported by the UK's leading independent art supplies retailer Cass Art, and complemented by professionally led talks providing practical guidance for artists, and an extensive social media presence promoting all entrants, in order to benefit as many participating artists as possible globally. Last year, the Prize again grew in size receiving over 4,120 entries from more than 1,750 artists from as far as Israel, China, Turkey, Germany, Ghana, Poland, America, Argentina and the UK. Chairman of Ashurst, Ben Tidswell said ‘we are delighted to announce the launch of Ashurst Emerging Artist Prize 2019. We're very proud to be running a global initiative that supports artists in the early stages of their careers, alongside Oaktree & Tiger. The Prize has been hugely successful over the past four years inspiring young artists globally.’ Full information about how to enter, including entry forms and rules, can be found online here.