Touchstones Rochdale calls for entries for the Football Art Prize

Budding artists have the chance to win £5,000 with the new Football Art Prize contest at Touchstones Rochdale.

With support from the Arts Council England, Touchstones has created The Football Art Prize to coincide with the same year as the 2022 Football World Cup. 

Rochdale residents are being encouraged to take part by submitting artworks in all two-dimensional mediums, including painting, drawing, digital art, collage, mixed media, textile, photography and moving image. 

Candidates have until 5pm on Friday 19 November to submit their works online and Rochdale locals have been given the discounted initial entry fee of £7.50. Artists may submit up to four works at the cost of £5 for each additional entry. 

The shortlist will be blind judged by a prestigious panel of judges, including independent art critic and curator, Sacha Craddock, Jo Cunningham, curator for Sunderland Museum & Winter Gardens and Mark Doyle, co-head of culture at Touchstones Rochdale. 

Footballer David James will also sit on the panel alongside director of programmes at Sheffield Museums, Kirstie Hamilton and Turner Prize winner, artist Mark Wallinger. 

Mark Doyle, judge and co-head of culture at Touchstones, said: “We’re really excited to be hosting the Football Art Prize at Touchstones Rochdale, further encouraging local people to engage more with the arts via a topic not typically associated with arts; football.

“I’m looking forward to sitting on the judging panel alongside the other fantastic judges and seeing some of the brilliant entries from Rochdale residents.”

All shortlisted entries will be showcased in a virtual gallery and all exhibiting artists will also be included in a fully illustrated print catalogue. 

The winner will receive £5,000 in cash with second and third place receiving £3,000 and £2,000 respectively. Awards will be given out to the winners in a prize-giving at the start of the exhibition.

The exhibition will open at Touchstones Rochdale with a private view and prize-giving event on Friday 11 March. The exhibition will then open to the public from Friday 12 March until 26 June 2022. 

The show will then go on tour to the Millennium Gallery in Sheffield from July 2022, culminating at the Sunderland Museum and Winter Gardens from November 2022. 

All entrants must be over the age of 18 and the submission deadline is Friday 19 November at 5pm. 

To enter, please visit: footballartprize.artopps.co.uk