An open art competition has been launched to celebrate local artists in Cowbridge and across South Wales.

The Cowbridge Open Art Competition welcomes artists to submit work across three categories: Applied Art (3D and craft pieces), 2D Art (drawings, collage, and mixed media), and Small Prints.

There are £2,000 worth of prizes for winning artists and the three winners for each category will be offered a joint exhibition next year at the Old Hall Gallery.

The competition was meant to take place in 2020 but the COVID-19 pandemic put a stop to initial plans for two years.

Andy Lloyd, a member of the Cowbridge Arts Group and one of the organisers of the competition, told Cowbridge Nub News: "We originally planned this for 2020, pre-Covid, but of course, it's been postponed ever since then.

"We thought it would be a good idea to put this [competition] on because, in Cowbridge, there's a food festival and a music festival, but nothing big on the art front."

Organisers have been offered rooms for art showcases at The Bear Hotel on Cowbridge High Street, which will host pieces from the small print category.

Applied Art and 2D Art pieces will be displayed at the Old Hall Gallery.

"We have the facilities to put up around 150 pictures, about 40 small prints, and we have nine display cabinets at the Old Hall," said Mr Lloyd.

Sponsorships and other partnerships of the competition include Elephant & Bun Deli, The Old Wool Barn, Beauty Within Medi Spa, and Noble Grape.

Three judges will have sole responsibility for judging the works and deciding on three winners for each category. There is a judge for each specialist art form: Bethan Ash, the Applied Art judge and the curator and owner of Queen Street Gallery in Neath; Chris Nurse, the Small Prints judge and retired senior lecturer in painting and printmaking at the University of South Wales; and Neil Lebeter, the 2D Art judge and senior curator of Modern and Contemporary Art at the National Museum of Wales.

Once all the submissions are sent, the judges will look at the art pieces through an online portal and select which ones will be presented at an exhibition.

The judges will look at the exhibition in person to choose the three category winners, and all winners will be announced at an evening awards ceremony on Monday, August 8.

"Anyone can apply for the competition," said Mr Lloyd. "We expect people to enter from the whole of South Wales, from Pembrokeshire to Newport and perhaps even Herefordshire.

"Depending on the outcome, we'd like to make this an annual event or at least a bi-annual event."

Artists can start to submit their entries now and applications will be accepted until July 4.

Applicants can only submit a maximum of three pieces. All artworks must be for sale and there is a 25% commission rate. 

Click here to find out how to enter.