As the judges entered the room an air of expectancy filled the atmosphere. The doors were closed and when they would open again we would have four winners of incredible prizes provided by the Wilderness Festival and CultureLabel.com.
| Willa, Charlotte and Lucy (Bridgeman Studio) | Kevin Summers & Paul Mulvey (Wilderness Festival) |
What the judges were not aware of before we started was the diversity of artwork they were about to view. Artists from every corner of the globe had entered their interpretations of ‘The Great Outdoors’ brief in every medium you could imagine. Once the judges from CultureLabel.com and the Wilderness Festival shared their thoughts on what they were looking for we dived into what could only be described as a magical showcase of imagination and talent.
After the first run through the entries, which took quite a while, it was clear that this would not be a quick decision as the standard and quantity of entries were exceptional. The judges for the Bridgeman Studio Award 2015 were Paul Mulvey (Mama & Co – Wilderness Festival), Kevin Summers (Mama & Co – Wilderness Festival), Patrick Burgoyne (Creative Review) and Lucy Baxter (CultureLabel.com).
Each brought with them a wealth of insight but what became clear was the passion and admiration for both the techniques and stories being told by each artist. The conversations about each entry were scintillating as well as surprising, which reflected the artwork on show.
| Lucy Baxter (CultureLabel.com) Briefing the judges | Paul Mulvey (Wilderness) & Patrick Burgoyne (Creative Review) |
As artists began to be shortlisted the excitement in the room continued to build and every artist who entered this competition should be very proud to know that each of them made the final selection process very difficult indeed.
finalising the selection had already proved to be difficult, but choosing the winners for CultureLabel and the Wilderness Festival prizes become a daunting task. Fascinating discussions began to choose the winner of the £500 Wilderness Map Commission, a prize that will bring the winning artist a great platform for their work. Also, three winners who will step into the wonderful world of CultureLabel.com where a global audience looking for something special from the worlds of art and culture come in their thousands every day.
| Patrick Burgoyne – Creative Review | Harriet Bridgeman – Chairman Bridgeman Images |
So the three winners for the CultureLabel.com prize were first to be chosen with rapturous applause meeting the winning verdict, three entries that truly dazzled all the judges and met the brief in a way that excited Lucy Baxter from CultureLabel.com.
“Judging was no easy feat as each artist had their own captivating style and unique interpretation of the Great Outdoors brief. Nevertheless, the three CultureLabel winners stood out for their strong talent and distinctive individual styles and interpreted the brief in such different, innovative ways. We are truly excited to be working with these exciting emerging artists and look forward to launching the limited edition product line featuring their exceptional artwork.” – Lucy Baxter (Commercial Director at CultureLabel.com)
Yoko Honda
| Yoko Honda – In Your Dream | Yoko Honda – The Pool Side Motel |
Rosie Emerson
| © Rosie Emerson – Ebony |
Laurie Hastings
| © Laurie Hastings – Quiet Harbour | © Laurie hastings – Heather |
It had taken a great deal of effort to pick the three CultureLabel winners but here came an even tougher task of choosing one artist for the Wilderness Map Commission. Etched on every judge’s face was the concentration you expect from an Olympic athlete matched with a determination to give each artist the time and opportunity to convey everything that had gone in to their artwork.
The winner of the £500 Wilderness Map Commission was chosen to be Nik Van Es, an illustrator from Utrecht, Netherlands. The energy and vibrancy of Nik’s work captured the imagination of all the judges, especially the Wilderness Festival judges who were visibly excited about what Nik will bring to the Wilderness Festival. Nik’s map will be available as a printed map distributed to 30,000 people at the Wilderness Festival in August as well as on large billboards placed strategically around the festival. Nik will have a full biography printed on the reverse side of the map and judging from the conversations at the end of the judging event there could be more to come.
Nik Van Es
| © Nik Van Es – Planet Tropicana |
| © Nik Van Es – Wilderness 1 | © Nik Van Es – Everything will be okay |
We’d like to thank each of the judges for sharing their valuable time and insight during this years judging, it really was a privilege to be part of the experience. But we would also like to extend that gratitude to every single artist who entered the competition as they contributed to making the Bridgeman Studio Award 2015 a glorious display of global talent.
To sign off the Bridgeman Studio Award 2015 judging here are a few words from Lucy Innes Williams – Bridgeman Artists Manager,
“I have had the joy of discovering hundreds of exciting artists and illustrators over the last couple of months. The award was grasped with such enthusiasm and I think that the sheer quality of entries is testament to the creativity of the awards our Sponsors offered. My name is already on the waiting list for a Rosie Emerson deckchair and a Yoko Honda scarf! It gives the Bridgeman Studio team the greatest pleasure to now welcome a good number of these artists for representation for image licensing and commissions.”