PRIZES
"The Spirit of Malvern" en plein air competition prizes 2025
Artist opt to enter the Semi-professional and Professional competition or the Amateur competition. Artists must provide proof of permanent residential status to be considered for the WR postcode prize but this aspect is judged across both categories.
The very best of luck to you all and we are excited to see what you produce on the day!
Semi-professional and Professional Artists Prizes
"The Spirit of Malvern" Artist Prize £1100
Runner Up £500
Best Urban Scene £120
Best Landscape £120
Best Wildcard £120
WR Local Postcode Prize
Open
across BOTH categories for all participating artists who live in a WR postcode area
The WR Postcode prize £500
Amateur Artists Prizes
Winner of the Malvern Amateur Artis of the Year £500
Best Urban Scene £100
Best Landscape £100
Best Wildcard £100
The Spirit of Malvern en plein air painting competition will take place on 5th May Bank Holiday Monday 2025
The enthusiasm of our sponsors means it will be a BIGGER and extended event in 2025...with more prizes.
HOW TO TAKE PART
1. Artists self identify* as Amateur or Semi-professional /Professional
2. Buy the corresponding online ticket from Ticketsource
(see links in boxes above and below)
Early-bird rates available for limited period ending Feb 17th
3. Arrive at the registration 7.30am-9am at Malvern Theatres front
(Grange Rd, WR14 3HB)
4.Get your artwork surface rear stamped as proof of authenticity
(you may have more than one surface stamped but only one entry per ticket)
5. Choose your location in the Malvern area and start to paint!
6. Finished artworks must be back at Malvern Theatres STRICTLY by 2.30pm
(Malvern Theatres, Grange Rd, Gt Malvern, WR14 3HB)
7. Artists to bring and use their own easel to display their artwork
(see FAQ's) in the pop-up exhibition in the amateur exhibition or the semi-professional/professional rooms. Stewards will check your stamp and help you set up in the correct area safely.
8. Judging will take place 2.30pm-3.30pm
The judges are independent from the organisers.
9. At 3.45-4pm prizes awarded -
PLEASE gather in the forum and NOT on the stairs to hear the results.
10. Pop-Up exhibitions commence directly after the awards.
Please allow stewards to direct you safely to the rooms.
Exhibitions close at 5pm
Meet the 2025 judges
Creatives Connect Malvern are delighted to introduce you to our The Spirit of Malvern judges for 2025.
Visiting Judge
Fujiko Rose
Fujiko Rose’s work is a balance of contrasting themes, always playing with ideas like tradition and modernity or architecture and nature, and resulting in pieces that are both delicate and bold.
Best known for her ink drawings, she began her career after winning Landscape Artist of the Year, and went on to exhibit at various shows and has taught for Domestika and SkyArts.
"I like to say that my work is celebratory. An example of how I work is that I might visit a place and something about it will grip me. Then, when I eventually go about drawing it, I’ll consider the intention of the place as well as the experience of being there. From there, it’s a mix of serious overthinking and being playful; designing compositions, layering techniques, and having fun with different styles and themes."
Local Judge
Bridget Macdonald
Bridget Macdonald has lived and worked in Malvern for 28 years. She trained in Fine Art in the mid 1980s and has exhibited widely in both private and public spaces with a number of solo museum shows. Her work is held in the permanent collections of Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery, Wolverhampton Art Gallery, Worcester City Art Gallery and the House of Lords at Millbank in London.
Landscape has been an ongoing theme in her work for many years, focussing either on her home surroundings of the Malvern Hills or her native Isle of Wight.
She has taught at degree and foundation level at many regional art colleges, including Hereford College of Art and Worcester University.
MORE >
Local Judge
Susan Birth
Susan creates expressive landscapes derived from real places or imagined scenes depicting an ethereal, dreamlike world. Her intention is to draw in and hold the viewer’s gaze, perhaps evoking a thought, memory, mood or emotion. Her art has been described as escapist! She mixes collage, acrylic paint and ink with her own distinctive flair, often incorporating poetry by local poets. As well as exhibiting widely, Susan has undertaken commissions for Severn Arts, worked on projects for Worcester Art Gallery & Museum, been a co-organiser of Worcestershire Open Studios, collaborated with Worcestershire Litfest, and painted a penguin for Waddle of Worcester helping raise funds for St Richard’s Hospice. She is one of the 5 professional resident artists working at the Artist Studios at Bevere Gallery on the edge of Worcester, open to visitors Tuesday to Saturday 10 am to 4pm.
MORE >
Local Judge
Brian Gorst
Brian Gorst was born in Birmingham in 1969 and studied fine art painting in England and later in New York at the Graduate School of Figurative Art. His paintings encompass Still-Life, Landscape, and Figurative subjects as well as Abstract works and Assemblages.
He was a tutor at Malvern School of Art for nearly twenty years teaching Painting, Drawing, Anatomy and the Access to HE (Art and Design) Diploma. He has written articles on Drawing and Painting, and is the author of The Complete Oil Painter (Watson Guptill 2003).
FAQ's and things to consider before the day
PLEASE READ the information below. If your question is not answered then please reach out to us!
Who can take part?
The competitions are open to all adult artists both local and national at every level. Artists self identify their entry point (as semi-professional/professional or amateur) and buy a ticket.
See links above to our Ticketsource.
Can I sell my artwork at the Pop-up exhibition?
Yes!
We really hope that you will offer your artwork for sale at the pop-up exhibition.
The competition takes place, as it did last year, on a busy day in Malvern, with the Water Festival and Well Dressing plus the family fun day in Priory Park.
We hope that there will be many potential customers. We know lots of artists sold last year.
You will be given a slip to complete to let visitors know the price plus add your contact telephone number so that any buyer can call or message you. If you sell your piece before the exhibition as a 'work in progress' you must still bring it along to the pop-up ...as you will remain eligible for prizes. We take no commission and you make your own arrangements for payment.
Do I really need an easel?
Yes please!
Even if you do not work on an easel, each artist must bring an easel to display their own work at the pop-up exhibition. We do not have the facility to show work in any other way.
Thank you for your cooperation in this aspect in advance.
INSURANCE - do I need it?
Yes. In common with all other artists events each artist must have PPL insurance. ...as you will be "free range" in the Malvern area, mixing with the intrigued public and responsible for your equipment. You will also be responsible for the safety of your displaying easel in the ops-up exhibition. Insurance is very easily obtained from organisations such as those listed below.
Alternatively some artist find they have cover on their existing house insurance. It is your responsibility and we ask you to confirm you have cover at time of your ticket purchase.
What happens at Registration?
Artist register from 7.30am-9am. Show a copy of your online purchased ticket and get your numbered ticket , WR postcode ribbon (if applicable) and artwork price label to complete for the pop-up exhibition. Next artists have their support (paper/canvas/board etc) stamped as proof of 'on the day' artwork and you are all set to begin.
NB The 2.30pm deadline for completed artwork is non negotiable.
Where can I paint?
ANYWHERE in and around the Malvern Hills area that you can reach and then make it back from, to arrive at Malvern Theatres and set up by the 2.30pm deadline.
What does The Spirit of Malvern mean to you? Show us in your artwork!
PLEASE REMENBER that this event is an en plein air event and not for studio artwork. Working outdoors alongside fellow artists, making new friends and enjoying working spontaneously in the elements is all part of the fun!
Heading home to work indoors is not in the spirit of the event at all.
What's the wildcard prize?
Publicity
Please follow us on Facebook or INSTAGRAM....Post about your involvement and show your followers what a great place Malvern is!
We are all volunteers and will have lots to do but we aim to mutually support and promote as many participants and sponsors as possible. NB that you will have given permission to be photographed and your artwork, at online ticket purchase which may be used to promote this or future events,
THANK YOU to John O'neil for his article in The Artist magazine about taking part in our first event in 2024.
Are the timings flexible?
Timings will be adhered to by the organisers.
As last year, we will aim for a short slick registration period for artists to then allow adequate painting time WHICH ENDS with paintings FULLY INSTALLED in Malvern Theatres for judging at 2.30pm.
Please support us in keeping to this timetable.
An en plein air is a fun but tiring day for artists. Those who have travelled to our beautiful town from afar will have long journeys to make after the pop-up exhibition ends so the end of the day will be the end.
Are you a visual artist who doesn't draw or paint...but does something else? This is the category for you! (sculpture/print/textiles...etc?)
Surprise us with something unusual but please make sure what you do is made on site and en plein air on the day like other entries and PLEASE NOTE note that digital media are not accepted this year. You must also display the piece on your own easel/plinth etc.
What about the British weather?
The event will go ahead whatever the weather. PLEASE CONSIDER THE WIND and ensure that all easels and equipment are secured and cannot blow away and injure anyone. Beware also of causing a trip hazard.
Creatives Connect members will be able to advise you of suitable sheltered painting spots should it be wet on the day. Please come prepared to be outdoors for some hours.
Luckily we are assured of a dry pop-up exhibition and awards ceremony in Malvern Theatres where there are also toilets and refreshments.
WHY ARE THE PRIZES ODD AMOUNTS?
CCM aspire to increase the cash prizes by approximately 10% annually until we reach a main prize of £2000.🤞
Am I an Amateur or Semi-professional/Professional artist?
Artists select the competition which you feel most comfortable entering! There are no set rules but it may help to consider... Do you exhibit regularly? hold art qualifications? Are you studying at undergraduate level or above? Do you hold a degree in art or related field? sell work? make a partial or full income from you art? Maybe you are professional or semi professional entry?
OR are you a student? enthusiastic amateur? hobby artist? New or returning artist? Paint for fun or relaxation? Maybe you are an amateur entry?
What's the WR Postcode Prize?
Creatives Connect Malvern aims to provide opportunities for artists across the arts to link with new audiences and new venues in the Malvern Hills area. To encourage our local visual artists to join the event we have an award exclusively for WR postcode residents. This year it will be judged across BOTH categories. Art from local artists will be identified by a yellow ribbon to fasten their ticket to their easel at the judging and Pop-up exhibition.
Parking/transport/toilets
You can park at all day at
Priory Rd Noth WR14 3DS
Priory Rd South WR14 3DS
Victorian Rd WR14 2TD
ALTERNATIVELY many streets in Malvern are still suitable for all day parking.
Malvern has two stations but Gt Malvern station is the closest to the event.
Malvern has public toilet blocks at - Grange Rd carpark (close to the registration point). Also at Edith Walk, Barnard's Green and on the Hills at The Wyche Pass and St Ann's Well.
Later on in the day the Theatre has a cafe and facilities.
DO YOU HAVE AN UNANSWERED QUESTION?
If you have a question about the day please message us ...it would probably be faster to DM via our Instagram account. You may email us but as our inbox is not routinely monitored we may be some time sending you a relet as we are all volunteers. Thank you
Our sponsors in 2025
We thank our wonderful sponsors without whom it would not be possible to bring you this event.
We also thank all the volunteer members of Creatives Connect Malvern who have collectively contributed with their time, expertise and enthusiasm.
Malvern Theatres
Malvern Theatres is a major centre for the arts in the West Midlands. Hailed both locally and nationally as a model of artistic and architectural excellence, the venue boasts a long and proud history, having started life in 1884 as the Malvern Assembly Rooms. From 1929 it was the home of the famous Malvern Festivals, founded by Barry Jackson and George Bernard Shaw and now houses one of the most varied selections of plays, music, comedy dance, film and education work available under a single roof anywhere in the country. An independent charitable trust with less than 1% of its revenue turnover publicly funded, Malvern Theatres comprises four auditoria: the Festival Theatre, an 850-seat proscenium arch theatre; the Forum Theatre, a modern versatile space with a maximum capacity of over 800; a 300-seat cinema and a newly built studio (Studio One), which opened in 2023. Malvern Theatres is committed to developing the next generation of audiences and industry professionals and in 2012, the Malvern Theatres Young Company was founded, followed by The Malvern Theatres Stage Company in 2020. These two companies have collectively staged over 20 productions.
Malvern Hills District Council
Malvern Hills District Council is delighted to support Creatives Connect Malvern in promoting the Malvern Hills area as a venue for visual artists again in 2025 following the inaugural event here in 2024.
We look forward to seeing what artwork local artists and those artists who come to "Visit the Malvern's" produce.
Find out more about events and reasons to visit The Malvern Hills in the link below.
This en plein air painting competition coincides with our Family Fun day in Priory Park and the Well Dressing and Water Festival too.
We look forward to seeing our beautiful area interpreted afresh by the artists of 2025.
The Malvern Hills National Landscape
The Malvern Hills National Landscape is delighted to provide a grant to Creatives Connect for the Plein Air competition. Whilst much of our work is about restoring the beauty of our landscape; hedge laying, wildflower meadow making and restoring ancient and beautiful buildings, we are keen as mustard, to provide a chance for people to appreciate all we do. There’s no better way than getting out into the countryside, observing intently, then painting . We also provide grants to local community groups that encourage the appreciation of the area, for health and well-being; just another benefit of painting in the open air.
Smartbox
We create assistive technology for disabled people who are non-speaking or minimally verbal, to communicate and live more independently. Smartbox’s AAC (Augmentative and Alternative Communication) software and devices provide people with a voice and greater independence. We’re passionate about helping adults and children with complex needs succeed with AAC. Our technology exists to help people express themselves, access education, develop meaningful connections, and participate. We’re on a mission to ensure no one is left without a voice.
The Worcester Ambassadors
Worcestershire Ambassadors aim is to help make Worcestershire a great place to live, work, invest, visit and do business. We do this through our key aims ‘Promotion, Friendship and Fellowship, Charities & Sponsorship, Inward Investment and Influencing.’
Worcestershire Ambassadors work in partnership with various county wide organisations.
We also believe that it is important to have fun in achieving whichever goals we set ourselves.We raised £1,000,000 over the last 21 years.
The Dame Laura Knight Society
The aim of the Dame Laura Knight Society is to promote an awareness of the work of Laura and Harold Knight and to celebrate their paintings. The Knights spent more than 30 years living and working in Malvern for long periods of time between 1930 and 1960 and this is where Laura painted her most celebrated landscapes.
More information about the DLKS can be found on their website below.
Analysis History
Lucart Hygiene Ltd is a leading UK manufacturer of disposable tissue products, serving sectors like janitorial, hospitality, healthcare, and industry. Founded in 1990 and based in Malvern, Worcestershire, it is part of the Lucart Group, which has grown from a small Italian paper mill (est. 1953) into a major force in the hygiene and paper industry
The company prioritizes sustainability, pioneering a circular economy model by recycling beverage cartons to reduce waste and reliance on virgin pulp. Lucart also invests in renewable energy, adheres to strict environmental standards, and participates in reforestation efforts.
Beyond environmental initiatives, Lucart actively supports local communities through charity work and promotes employee well-being through training and health programs. Their approach exemplifies a balance between business success, environmental responsibility, and social impact.
Aetheria Gallery and Studio
The new contemporary art gallery in the heart of Great Malvern, Aetheria Gallery & Studio, are delighted to be supporting Creatives Connect The Spirit of Malvern this year.The gallery displays work by local artists and gallery owner Alison (Ali) Simons, inspired by themes of nature, escapism and fantasy. There are often opportunities to meet the artists and watch regular demonstrations in the gallery, or to take part in the many workshops and other activities on offer. New artwork is being displayed in the gallery all the time, keeping things fresh and inviting. The gallery can be found at 3 Edith Walk, Malvern, Worcestershire, WR14 4QH
Contact Ali at ali@dragonrunecrafts.co.uk, or 07717848362.
Where
Address
Great Malvern, Worcestershire - event venue for REGISTRATION & EXHIBITION
Malvern Theatres
Grange Road
WR14 3HB
The Spirit of Malvern En Plein Air Painting Competition 2024
Bank Holiday May 6th
Last year the pop-up exhibition was overwhelmingly popular with over 400 visitors coming through the doors to see the amazing art-work on display.Creatives Connect founder Kirsty Cubberly
“The very nature of the Malvern's has always attracted creative people, inspiring great writers, musicians and dramatists. Today, we are seeing a groundswell of energy to build on this artistic legacy, we want to ensure that the historic association between Malvern and the Arts is reconnected through the community, local venues and new audiences. At CCM, we are harnessing that energy and ambition, supporting our local creatives, and encouraging participation. The CCM network already includes more than 130 members, share ideas and information, and support one another.”
Watch the video to view some of the entries and to see who won the competition LAST YEAR.
