Young artists are celebrating after becoming winners in Bournemouth and Poole College’s 2021 Dorset Art Prize.

The competition was established by the college in 2014, with the support of Dorset Community Foundation Trust. The key objective is to actively engage with all aspects of the community through encouraging and helping to create a broader, more inclusive vision for art locally.

The theme for this was ‘Narrative’. Entrants were encouraged to interpret and explore this theme in broad and figurative ways, as well as more literal considerations.

Diane Grannell, principal of Bournemouth & Poole College, said: “The Dorset Art Prize become an event many look forward to each year. It’s a pleasure to hear how it has become such a staple event after the last eight years of successful competitions.

“Every year I am surprised by the number of entries and the talent shown in each and every entry. This year, with the addition of the school awards, I am more pleased than ever at the sheer quality of the submissions received. The Dorset Art Prize is a fantastic way of bringing the undiscovered young artists of Dorset into the limelight and providing a platform for them to succeed.

“I’d like to congratulate our award winners this year and thank everyone who took the time and effort to participate in the competition. We were overwhelmed with entries and I can only imagine how hard it was to make the final decision for the judges.”

This year, the panel of judges were Michael Spender, head of culture at BCP Council; Rebecca Rossiter, museum manager for Poole Museums; Sibyl Fine King, director of the Fine Family Foundation, Jacqueline Hurley, widely regarded as the country’s foremost Remembrance artist; and Tony Worobiec, an established fine art photographer and author.

The awards were announced in a virtual awards ceremony on the college’s website.

The winners were:

Years 10 and 11: 1, Ella Stephens, 2, James McMillan and 3, Kye Preston

Years 12 and 13: 1, Lucy Hannah Kendall, 2, Sarah-Jane Brown and 3, Sophie Hackman.

19 plus: 1, Danny Byrne, 2, Kathryn Whitemore and 3 Xin Wen.

Primary school winner was Malmesbury Park Primary Academy and Years 7 – 9 Winner was Parkstone Grammar School.