The Sheikha Manal Young Artist Award announces call for entries

Held under the royal patronage of Her Highness Sheikha Manal bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, President of Dubai Women Establishment, wife of His Highness Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Presidential Affairs, UAE. The Sheikha Manal Young Artist Award 2011 is now open for entries.

First launched in 2006, The Sheikha Manal Young Artist Award is an annual fine arts competition which aims to encourage, recognize and promote emerging artists from the UAE and is especially popular amongst university students majoring in Art, Design and Multimedia.

The contest is open to all UAE residents, male and female, between the ages of 18 to 30 years. One major criterion for the award is that the artist should not have had an independent solo exhibition previously. The award grants the winning artists the exciting opportunity to exhibit their work in a solo showcasing and for the first time.

Now in its sixth year, the competition has continuously grown with each edition. Last year saw the highest ever number of submissions with more than 300 entries from 12 different nationalities, reflecting the continued interest in art within the community and the role of H.H. Sheikha Manal’s Young Artist Award as the UAE’s most important award for young emerging artists.

“We are pleased to organize this competition for the sixth consecutive year,” said Muna Bin Kalli, Executive Director of Dubai Ladies Club. “Since its inception six years ago, the Sheikha Manal Young Artist Award has greatly contributed to advancing the art scene in the UAE and leading young artistic talent towards greater excellence and innovation. The Sheikha Manal Young Artist Award has attracted a high quality of entries in the past and has generated great enthusiasm and excitement. We hope many more will take advantage of this contest which not only rewards the emerging artists but also encourages them with recognition and support ."

The competition is divided into three categories:

Fine Art Category - Acrylic, Oil, Water Colour, Pastel, Ink, Sculpture, Ceramics, Glass, Print Making, Etching, Mixed Media.

Photography Category - Black & White / Coloured Photographs captured by the artist with slight digital modification and printed on flat surfaces including Canvas, Silk, Acrylic Sheets.

Multimedia Category - Digital Art, Video Art, Installation

Furthermore, after the nominations have been announced online, the public visitors will have a chance to vote for their favourite art work at ‘The People’s Choice Award’ through the website’s online voting feature.

The application process will be conducted via the competition website www.youngartistaward.ae. Interested participants can follow the instructions on the website to make their online submission. The deadline to apply and upload entries is 30^th of November 2011.

Young Artists Award 2011 entries will be reviewed by a distinguished panel of judges comprised of industry professional and practicing artists from the local and international art community. The panel will shortlist fifty art works for an exhibition followed by the winners being announced during the Gala Awarding Ceremony to be held in January 2012.