Koestler Exhibition Entries

The 2019 Koestler Awards opened for submissions in February and HMP & YOI Grampian in partnership with MAP and Fife College supported prisoners to submit their work.

Before the entries were sent away, Fife College & MAP held an exhibition to showcase all the work completed in Grampian. The exhibition was held in the Education Department and was attended by prisoners and partnership agencies. This gives the Prisoners a chance to talk about their work and get feedback.

The entries were a mix of; films, music, spoken word, paintings, stories and many more.

HMP & YOI Grampian sent away 114 entries which is an increase from 111 the previous year.

Fingers crossed that our entries win some awards and get picked to be showcased at the UK Exhibition at the Southbank Centre in London curated by Soweto Kinch.

What is the Koestler Awards?

The Koestler Trust is the UK's best-known prison arts charity. We encourage ex-offenders to change their lives through taking part in the arts, and we challenge negative preconceptions of what ex-offenders are capable of. 

We inspire participation in the arts amongst offenders, secure patients and detainees through Awards and Feedback, Mentoring, Sales, Exhibitions and Events. We increase public awareness of the potential of offenders through Exhibitions and Events, Publications and contributing to research.

We give over 2,000 Awards a year. Every entrant gets a certificate and many winners

receive a cash prize. The total prize money is over PS30,000.

-       Platinum                      (PS100 + certificate)

-       Gold                             (PS60 + certificate)

-       Silver                            (PS40 + certificate)

-       Bronze                          (PS20 + certificate)

-       Special Awards              (PS25 + certificate)

-       Highly Commended       (certificate)

-       Commended                (certificate)

Entries are judged by over 100 experts from different fields. 2018 judges included

Turner Prize-winning artist Jeremy Deller, representatives from the Henry Moore

Institute, the Roundhouse, Art on the Underground, radio drama The Archers and

the British Film Institute, filmmaker-presenter Reggie Yates, comedian Cariad Lloyd,

celebrity hairstylist Louise Galvin and musicians Hot Chip.