The Whitegold International Ceramic Prize is a celebration of clay, drawing on the history and culture of St Austell’s clay country and its global china clay connections. First Prize: £10,000. Second Prize: £5,000.

Individual artists, makers, collectives and CIC’s are invited to submit works that that use clay to inspire new perspectives and insights into place - the specific character of a location that makes it unique. All work of exceptional quality that connects people and place through creativity with clay will be considered. Submitted artwork should be culturally and environmentally aware and socially engaged. 

Submission Guidelines

For the purposes of the prize, an Artist Collective is understood as a group of artists working together towards a common objective; and socially engaged practice, also referred to as social practice or socially engaged art, can include any artform which involves people and communities in practice, debate, collaboration or social interaction.

Established and emerging artists from all parts of the world are invited to submit 2 completed projects undertaken between 2014 and 2019.  Each project submission must include as minimum an excellent visual record of work and a 500 word overview of each of project including a summary of how it connects with the theme of the award.

A maximum of 8 artists will be selected for the shortlist. Shortlisted artists will be invited to St Austell for a tour of the region’s clay country before submitting a statement of intent for a new project that draws on the culture of region and its connections through clay to people in Cornwall, the UK and the rest of the world.

The jury will select two artists from the shortlist as final winners to develop their proposal for completion in time for the 2020 Whitegold Festival.

Jurors 

Jenny Beavan - International Ceramic Artist

Prof Steve Dixon - Manchester Metropolitan University

Dr Wendy Gers - International Curator and Activist-Scholar

John Hodkin - Managing Director of Eco-Bos

Dr Katie Bunnell - Curator Whitegold Festival

Ashley Shopland, UK Platform Business Unit General Manager IMERYS Minerals Ltd

Timeline

End May 2019 - Announcement of 2019 Whitegold Prize and call out for applications

End July 2019 - First submission deadline

Beg Sept 2019 - Shortlist announced

20/21 Sept 2019 - Shortlisted artists field trip to St Austell clay country and Whitegold Festival

End Sept 2019 - Deadline for Statement of Intent

End Oct 2019 - Winners announced

Jan - Mar 2020 - Artworks developed in discussion with curator

May 2020 - Artworks ready to be installed

Sept 2020 - Prize ceremony at Whitegold Festival

What is Whitegold?

Whitegold is a celebration of clay, drawing on the history and culture of St Austell’s industrial and post-industrial landscape and its global china clay connections. Through a number of public arts projects initiated by the St Austell Bay Economic Forum (SABEF), Whitegold is providing a platform for local, national and international makers, ceramicists and artists to contribute to the cultural, social and economic regeneration of the region.

Whitegold curators are developing projects that foster local and international cultural exchange around clay and the ceramic arts and which explore social, economic and environmental sustainability through a variety of means. Projects currently in process include public art commissions, small and large scale permanent and non-permanent ceramic installations, as well as social engagement and action based research projects that seek to develop skills in co-design and collaboration in local communities.

For the past three years SABEF has produced the Whitegold Festival, building the profile of clay and ceramic arts within the town, providing an annual hub of activity and attracting visitors from the UK and beyond. The Whitegold International Ceramic Prize will make a significant contribution to the long term ambition of the funding partners to raise the profile of St Austell as a recognised destination for ceramic arts.