Shereen Diab, from Lebanon, has been announced as the winner of the inaugural International Young Visual Arts Entrepreneur (IYVAE) at an award ceremony at the INIVA gallery in London's Shoreditch area. Shereen is the local Director of Lens on Lebanon, a not-for-profit organisation, formed in 2006 as a non-partisan, grassroots arts and media initiative.

At the emotionally charged ceremony, Andrea Rose, Director of the British Council Visual Arts team, announced Shereen's win to a packed house. Andrew Senior, from the British Council Creative Economy team at the British Council, then read out the judges' citation for Shereen:

‘In an eloquent and beguiling presentation Shereen demonstrated her activism in visual arts. Her focus on cultural production is unique and relevant to the difficult context within which she is operating, and her work at a grass roots level is linked to a real entrepreneurial ability to affect wider social change in Lebanon through art. There is a real academic rigour to her work, and the judges were particularly encouraged by her commitment to expand local and international connections to further her project.’

Shereen recieved the IYVAE trophy and a £7,500 prize fund, with which she will develop a visual arts project between the Lebanon and the UK.

Andrea Rose also announced a special commendation for one other finalist, Himanshu Verma, the Promoter of Red Earth.

This new award from the British Council, the seventh international award within the Young Creative Entrepreneur programme, aims to highlight the contribution that entrepreneurs make to the development of their country’s visual arts scene, both through their championing of talented artists, sculptors and photographers, and through their understanding of the market. The award also champions the achievements of young visual arts entrepreneurs and showcases international innovation in visual arts promotion, management and business development.

Nine countries took part in the award: Colombia, India, Poland, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Tanzania, UAE and Venezuela. Each country, through a national competition with a national jury of senior experts from the visual arts sector, selected its national winners, who travelled to the UK for the international competition and to take part in a UK tour. The tour provides the finalists with a tailored introduction to the UK visual arts scene, including visits to London, Liverpool, Newcastle and Gateshead, meetings with senior industry figures, and the opportunity to attend the Frieze Art Fair and Zoo Art.

The awards ceremony took place at INIVA, where Huw Locke's exhibition, The Kingdom of the Blind, provided a stunning backdrop. Locke's work ‘explores global cultural fusions, creating complex sculptural collages with an eclectic range of objects, including mass produced toys, souvenirs and consumer detritus.’

In full, the nine finalists were:

• Colombia: Juan Pablo Fajardo. Co-Creative director / Manager, La Silueta Ediciones ltda, a company specialising in graphic design for cultural institutions.
• India: Himanshu Verma. Director of Red Earth, a New Delhi based organisation that engages with visual and performing arts, presenting exhibitions, visual art projects, and art festivals.
• Lebanon: Shereen Diab (winner). Local Director of Lens on Lebanon, a not-for-profit organisation, formed in 2006 as a non-partisan, grassroots arts and media initiative.
• Poland: Paulina Wroclawska. Gallery Manager and Events Coordinator, Raster Gallery
• Saudi Arabia: Amal Saud Mohammed Alkhamisi. Digital painter and teacher.
• Syria: Abir Boukhari. Founder of All Art Now, a private cultural, artist and social initiative supporting young Syrian contemporary artists.
• Tanzania: Fred Halla. Chairman and Project Co-ordinator Rafiki Arts Trust.
• UAE: Khalil Abdul Wahid. Manager, Visual Arts Dubai Culture and Arts Authority.
• Venezuela: Suwon Lee. Visual artist and art promoter Oficina #1 and Pulgar magazine.