The New Blood Art Emerging Art Prize is a collaboration with fine art degree courses across the UK, spotlighting outstanding graduating artists and providing a vital bridge between art education and the professional art world. The prize is tutor-led, with fine art tutors across the UK nominating artists whose work demonstrates exceptional commitment, originality, and artistic potential.

 

The Prize highlights a crucial transition point for emerging artists - bridging the gap between academic study and establishing a sustainable creative career. The UK is globally renowned for its world-class creative education system, yet many graduates find themselves navigating an art market that increasingly demands business acumen alongside artistic excellence. The Prize exists to recognise and empower these artists, connecting them with collectors, mentors, and wider opportunities in the contemporary art world.

 

By collaborating with fine art tutors - who provide the first and most formative layer of professional support - the Prize ensures that artistic merit is at the heart of the selection process. It is not a competition in the traditional sense, but a curated recognition of excellence, designed to champion talent at the most critical moment in an artist’s career.

 

Since launching in 2023, the Prize has attracted support from leading figures in the art world and beyond. Past judges have included Professor Anita Taylor, Dean of Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art & Design and founder of the Trinity Buoy Wharf Drawing Prize, and Serenella Ciclitira, a prominent collector and founder of StART Art Fair. This year’s judging panel included Peter Hargreaves, one of the UK’s most successful entrepreneurs and a dedicated art collector, alongside Jim Rajan, founder of The Subtle Qualities School, and Sarah Ryan, founder of New Blood Art and the Prize itself.

 

The Prize represents a rare opportunity to see the future of contemporary art in one place. From Falmouth to Aberdeen, the Prize brings together the most exciting Fine Art graduates from institutions across England, Scotland, and Wales, offering collectors, galleries, and patrons an unparalleled insight into the next generation of British art.

 

About Sarah Ryan

 

Sarah Ryan is the founder of New Blood Art and the New Blood Art Emerging Art Prize. She has spent the past two decades working closely with fine art tutors and emerging artists, identifying and championing talent at the earliest stages of their careers.

 

With a background in fine art education, Sarah originally trained as an artist before moving into teaching and then founding New Blood Art in 2004. At a time when online platforms for emerging artists were virtually non-existent, she pioneered a model that allowed graduate artists to gain exposure and connect with collectors. Over the years, she has travelled extensively across the UK, ensuring that promising artists - especially those outside major cities - receive the visibility and opportunities they deserve.

 

Her work is rooted in a deep commitment to artistic merit over market trends, and she has consistently advocated for emerging artists to be valued and supported on their own terms. Through the New Blood Art Emerging Art Prize, she continues to bridge the worlds of education, creativity, and entrepreneurship, collaborating with fine art tutors across the UK to support the next generation of artists.

 

New Blood Art and its pioneering approach to identifying artists before they go on to establish meaningful careers has been widely recognised in the national press. Without any external PR or marketing, Sarah’s work has been featured in all of the UK’s major broadsheets, highlighting the platform’s unique role in shaping the early careers of emerging artists.

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