The British Council is organizing a competition aimed at encouraging young entrepreneurs to discover their creativity while engaged in an emerging new market like Saudi Arabia. Participants in the International Young Visual Arts Entrepreneur Award must submit their entry before July 16 and the winner will be announced in August. “This award is the first of its kind. It aims to encourage a new generation of visual arts entrepreneurs in the country and to further the cause of art,” said Heba Al-Aqrabawi, Project Coordinator Media and Network at the British Council in Al-Khobar. “Candidates will go through a tough screening process and interview so that the country is represented by the best,” she added. The competition is open to all those working in the visual arts sector and who demonstrate business success in terms of growth and profit and have developed a successful social enterprise in this sector. Those interested in participating in the event could apply online through the website http://www.britishcouncil.org/me-saudi-arabia-iyva.htm or through the offices of the British Council in Jeddah, Riyadh and Al-Khobar. Candidates will be judged on both the evidence of their leadership in the visual arts industry by championing its development in their country and on the eagerness to take initiatives (exhibitions, trade fairs, festivals etc) that grow the market for this sector in the region. The competition takes in qualities such as entrepreneurial ability, risk taking, leadership ability, market awareness and understanding, originality of ideas, international outlook and ability to network globally. The YVAEA will be a two-stage competition. “The first stage will be to select a winner from Saudi Arabia who will then go to the UK for a 12-day Visual Arts tour in mid-October. He/she will be joining other visual arts entrepreneurs from all over the world, meeting leaders and innovators in British Visual Arts,” said Al-Aqrabawi. The second stage of the competition will be held in the UK where regional winners will be interviewed by a panel of experts and will make presentations about their work as a visual arts entrepreneur. The winner of the Young Visual Arts Entrepreneur of the year will receive an award of £7,500 to be spent on a project in collaboration with the British Council on promoting links in visual arts between the winner's home country and the UK. “We hope that this will be an opportunity to support the visual arts industry in Saudi Arabia and take it to newer heights,” said Al-Aqrabawi. She added that “applications have started pouring in and we are expecting many people to apply before the deadline.” Visual art in the country is developing at a good pace thanks to artists and designers like celebrated photographer Reem Al-Faisal, Shadia Alem, Reem Nazir and entrepreneur Nabila Al-Bassam. __
