Children and adults have just a couple of weeks in which to enter the Dorset Art Prize competition.

Founded by the Bournemouth and Poole College, in partnership with Dorset Community Foundation, the competition aims to highlight creative talent across the county and the deadline for entry is Friday 15 July.

Submissions by artists in any visual medium are invited. Entry is free and there are multiple categories – Primary School, Secondary School, Year 10 and 11, Year 12 and 13, and Over 19 – each offering monetary prizes from £250 up to £1,000.

Danny Byrne, winner of the 2021 Over 19 category, said: “The Dorset Art Prize provides creatives with a unique dose of publicity and is an important part of the local art community. In a year where galleries are opening up and people have a need to experience new art, now is the perfect time to get your work out there.”

For this year’s theme, ‘Messages’, entrants are encouraged to interpret this topic in any way they see fit and explore their own expressive approach.

Lizzie Sturdy, an art teacher at Parkstone Grammar, said: “It has been an honour for Parkstone Grammar School to have been entering work into the Dorset Art Prize from its original creation and launch many years ago, and to have watched it grow in scale and prestige over its existence. We have been thrilled and humbled to receive the School’s prize on a number of occasions, and to see our students gain such success in the prizes year after year.”

Matt Butcher, commercial director at Bournemouth & Poole College, added: “The Dorset Art Prize is an important annual mark in our calendar to collaborate with artists and creatives in the community. We are constantly impressed with the submissions and are looking forward to seeing what entrants will produce this year.”

Winners will be announced in November.

For more information and to enter, log onto https://www.thecollege.co.uk/dorset-art-prize.