Submit Applications for Norval Student Art Prize (South Africa)

The Norval Student Art Prize provides learners with a platform to express their perspectives on the exhibition: We, the People: 30 years of Democracy in South Africa. Through their artworks, they can share their experiences, insights, and reflections with the public while being recognised with meaningful rewards.

Beyond fostering artistic expression, the NSAP helps expand awareness of Norval Foundation, reaching new audiences, including schools and communities that may not yet be familiar with them. They also hope this program encourages school visits to the museum, offering learners inspiration for their submissions and increasing educational visits early in the year.

Winning artworks will be showcased in an exhibition at Norval Foundation, which opens on 16 June 2025. This provides a unique opportunity for student art to be featured in a prominent museum setting, reinforcing the value of young voices in the cultural landscape.

Categories

• There are grade categories for judging purposes to ensure that learners of all ages can enter the NSAP and be judged fairly for their work:
  • Foundation Phase: Grades 1-3 (7 – 9yrs)
  • Intermediate Phase: Grades 4-6 (10 – 12yrs)
  • Senior Phase: Grades 7-9 (13 – 15 yrs)
  • FET Phase: Grades 10-12 (16 – 18 yrs)

Prize Information

• There will be a 1st, 2nd, and 3rd prize winner for each category; this includes Foundation Phase: Grades 1-3, Intermediate Phase: Grades 4-6, Senior Phase: Grades 7-9, FET Phase: Grades 10-12.
• 1st place winners’ in each category will receive Extra Mural Art Lessons at Peter Clarke Art Centre for six months.
• An additional wild card prize will be awarded, which includes a Grade 10 FET Design/Visual Art bursary for 2026 at Peter Clarke Art Centre.
• 2nd and 3rd winners’ place in each category will receive an art ARTSAUCE pack and a Norval Foundation publication of choice.

Eligibility Criteria

• To be eligible to enter the Norval Students’ Art Prize, the applicant must be of school-going age (grade 1 to 12 or ages 7 to 18 years old). If the applicant is under 18 years old at the moment of submission, they will require legal representation by a parent or legal guardian.

Judging Criteria

• There will be a designated panel of judges’ who will be judging each artwork using a point system according to a set of criteria. The criteria used to judge the artworks include:
  • Relevance to the theme
  • Concept or story
  • Emotionally evocative
  • Use of technique and/or art materials
  • Originality/creative thinking

Application Requirements

• The application requirements/restrictions ensure that all applicants submit an A4 or A3 sized 2-dimensional artwork. This includes but is not limited to drawing, painting, textural works, mixed media, pastel, etc.
• The artwork only needs to be able to fit inside an A4 or A3 frame for the purpose of the exhibition.
• The artworks may also include an audio-visual element which makes the NSAP inclusive for all learners who are differently abled.
• Accompanying the artwork should be a short story, written or recorded, by the learner who created the artwork. This will be displayed alongside the artwork in the exhibition and will provide the judges and viewers context
• All students are required to submit the application form when submitting the work.

For more information, visit Norval Foundation.