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The Sheppey Prize

 

 The purpose: 

To create an annual art competition to promote the Isle of Sheppey’s rich history, landscapes and seascapes.

To offer artists the opportunity to capture aspects of the Isle of Sheppey from three perspectives, Land, Sea and Air, across all four seasons of the year.

To encourage young people to create art.

To promote aspects embedded in the heritage of Sheppey. Examples of each include:

  • Land: Farming, historic buildings including churches, landscapes, Sites of Special Scientific Interest, RAMSA sites, industry, townscapes, fossil hunting, road, rail and power infrastructure, model steam railway.
  • Sea: Naval traditions, the Dockyard, Queenborough Harbour, fishing, beaches, sailing, windsurfing, open swimming, tourism. 
  • Air: Bird reserves, aviation history at Eastchurch, hang-gliders at Minster cliffs, model aircraft club at Bartons Point, skyscapes and sunsets.

The event:

An art competition, to be launched in July 2026, leading to an exhibition of the winning entries in June and July 2027. Full timetable below.

  • An Open Prize (18yrs and over) for each of three categories; Land, Sea and Air.                        
  • A Junior Prize (12yrs-17yrs old), combining the three categories into one.                    

Judges will select a First Place and two Highly Commended works for each.

An exhibition of the winning and highly-commended works, as selected by the judges, will be held at the Sheerness Dockyard Church, on the Isle of Sheppey, from Wednesday 23th June 2027 to Tuesday 29th June, 2027. Visitors to the exhibition will be invited to choose their “Best in Show”. 

A second exhibition will be held at the Kent County Show, near Maidstone, from Friday 2nd July 2027 to Sunday 4th July 2027, when a presentation will be made to the “Best in Show”.

The rules:

All entrants agree to adhere to the rules of entry and to meet all deadlines. Entrants that do not meet the conditions above may be disqualified and forfeit any prize or prizes.

  • Works must be two-dimensional in either paint, pen, pencil or crayon. They must be no larger than A2 size (420mm x 594mm, 16.5” x 23.4”). 
  • Works must be the artist's own original work and not infringe on third-party copyrights.  AI-generated images will not be permitted. 
  • Junior entries will be free, and each entrant is limited to one entry.
  • There will be a £5 fee for each entry to the Open categories, and each entrant is limited to one entry in each of the three categories.
  • All entry fees are payable by bank transfer when each entry is submitted to the following bank account (held by Swale Community & Voluntary Services):
    • Account name: Swale CVS
    • Sort code : 20-54-11
    • A/C No: 30899569

Any unspent funds will be held by Swale CVS for future Sheppey Prize competitions.

  • Copies of works will be submitted electronically by the deadline date to: sheppeyprize@gmail.com. These will be in J-Peg format with a file size of 5MB or less. 
  • Each submission will be labelled with the relevant category, medium, title, artist’s name and contact email address. Junior entrants should include their age.
  • All correspondence regarding The Sheppey Prize will be via email.
  • By submitting their work, the artist gives permission for images of it to be used in publicity and promotion of the competition and exhibitions as decided by the organisers. Any such use will be accompanied by the details outlined above, with the exception of contact details. 
  • The closing date for entries is 5pm on Friday 14th May, 2027.
  • Judges’ decisions will be final.
  • There is no alternative, monetary or otherwise, to the prizes offered.

If selected for the exhibition:

  • You will arrange for delivery of your original work to the Dockyard Church in Sheerness from 9am to 4pm on either, Friday 18th June 2027, Saturday 19th June 2027, or Monday 21st June 2027.
  • The original work needs to be delivered framed, and fitted with wire or D-rings ready for hanging.
  • Works selected for exhibition must be labelled with; the category, the medium, the title, your name and contact details, and, if you are under 18 years old, your age.
  • If you want to make your work available for sale then you must, on delivery, give the price of the work with contact details for potential buyers. These details will be attached to your work during the exhibition.
  • The price may not be altered following delivery.
  • It will be your responsibility to insure your work against damage or loss. The organisers accept no responsibility for loss or damage to any work submitted for exhibition.
  • You agree to leave the work with the curator for the duration of the exhibitions.
  • It will be your responsibility to collect the work from Sheerness Dockyard Church on completion of the exhibition.
  • You will be invited to the opening of the exhibition at the Dockyard Church, Sheerness, on Wednesday 23rd June 2027.
  • You will be invited to the exhibition at The Kent County Show on Friday 2nd July 2027. You will receive two complementary tickets for the Kent County Show as part of your prize.

Timeline:

  • 3rd July 2026 - launch of The Sheppey Prize, Kent County Show, Detling
  • 7th May 2027 - Closing date for submission of digital copies of entries
  • 11th May 2027 - Shortlisting
  • 21st May 2027 - Final selection by judging panel
  • 22nd May 2027 - Contact finalists.  Delivery instructions given
  • 18th to 21st May 2027 - Artists to deliver works to The Dockyard Church, Sheerness
  • 23rd June 2027 to 29th June 2027 - Exhibition, The Dockyard Church, Sheerness
  • 2nd July 2027 to 4th July 2027 - Exhibition, Kent County Show, Detling

Promotion and publicity:

  • July 2026 - Launch at Kent County Show
  • Ongoing publicity in social media, traditional media, galleries, community centres, public spaces, schools and colleges, etc, and more widely among the arts community in Kent.
  • October 2026 – Listed in EHOK Brochure and website.
  • June 2027 - Exhibition during the Festival of Sheppey.
  • July 2027 - Exhibition - Kent County Show

Prizes:

  • There will be 12 prize winners in total; a winner and two runners-up in each of the three Open Categories and a winner and two runners-up in the Junior Category
  • Each prize winner will have their work included in the two exhibitions.
  • Each prize winner will receive an invitation to the opening of the exhibition at the Dockyard Church, Sheerness on 23rd June 2027, where they will be awarded their prize and certificate.
  • Each prize winner will receive two tickets to the Kent County Show 2027, with an invitation to attend the “Best in Show” presentation, on Friday 2nd July 2027. Note: tickets are valid for one day, and can be used instead on Saturday 3rd July 2027 or Sunday 4th July 2027.
  • Each prize winner will receive a choice of Daler-Rowney art supplies, courtesy of Daler-Rowney, up to the value shown below:
    • Open category: Up to £100 for each of the three winners and up to £50 for each of the six runners-up
    • Junior category: Up to £50 for the winner and up to £25 for the two runners up.
  • The “Best in Show" artist will receive a further prize.

Note: There is no cash alternative to the prizes listed.

Promoter: Mike Whiting, c/o Central House, Central Ave, Sittingbourne ME10 4NU

Email address: sheppeyprize@gmail.com

The Sheppey Prize is grateful to the following who, through their generosity, have made the competition possible:

Daler Rowney

Francis Iles Gallery

Island Works & Sheerness Dockyard PreservationTrust

Kent Agricultural Society

Swale CVS

S. W. Attwood & Partners

Data Protection: Personal details will be stored securely and used only for the purposes listed above and for informing entrants about the competition. They will not be shared with any third party and will be deleted following the close of the exhibitions.

©The Sheppey Prize