In advance of the London Olympic Games 2012, the British Council in Kazakhstan is running an artwork competition on the theme “London 2012” to encourage the professional development of young Kazakhstani artists. This year, nearly 100 artworks, executed in different mediums, were submitted.

The annual artwork competition has a different theme every year, and each year the theme  reflects cultural relations between the two countries.

This week, a professional panel of judges, consisting of Kazakhstan’s best artists, some internationally renowned names, art experts and curators, gathered at the British Council Almaty office to sift the 97 entries (A4 sketches) from 56 young artists, for the final round of the competition.

This year’s competition adds new dimensions to the project, including a new category for the digitally savvy, called “New Media” and a plan to exhibit the artworks at one of the Almaty’s art galleries for a month this autumn.

The diverse team of contemporary Kazakhstani artists, whose names were announced on the British Council’s and other web-resources, was chaired by British Council Director, Lena Milosevic, and moderated by Arts Projects Manager, Maya Zedelashvili. The jury had a highly enjoyable couple of hours, discussing and selecting the most promising out of the 97 sketches, in an informal and relaxed atmosphere.

21 entrants were shortlisted to participate in the final round. The full-size artwork, in the author’s chosen medium, will be brought to the British Council in early October for a final assessment panel, which will identify the winner and 7 best artworks (runners-up) to be awarded with professional artist’s sets from global leading brands and other prizes. The best works will also be reproduced on the British Council branded cards, made into souvenir sets.

London-2012 Olympics theme doubled the number of participants and submissions. Last year’s theme - ‘UK- Kazakhstan Cultural Relations’, was a tougher call for young artists. The best works reproduced in greeting card packs can be viewed on our Facebook photo album.

All judges were unanimous in their feedback that annual competition is a practical way of encouraging artistic talent, and through this competition, the British Council is strengthening its presence and reputation on the visual arts scene in Almaty, where such initiatives are rare.

As one of our judges noted: “The British Council is the first international organisation to understand the importance of supporting young, budding, artists on a regular basis. This competition is the most open and transparent of all that I’ve known in Almaty, and the addition of the New Media category only verifies that the UK continues to be a leader in the field of modern art.”