Giving young artists a leg up

Hiscox supports the Saatchi Gallery's New Sensations Prize 2011

Hiscox has been helping support some of the UK’s most exciting young artists through its sponsorship of the Saatchi Gallery’s New Sensations Prize 2011. The award, which started in 2007, aims to find and support the most imaginative and talented students graduating from universities and colleges in the UK and Ireland.

After receiving more than 600 entries, the judges selected a shortlist of 20 artists to exhibit their work at the New Sensations exhibition at Victoria House, London, during Frieze week in October. Out of that shortlist, four artists were given a bursary to produce new work for the exhibition and each of them was the subject of a short Channel 4 film.

Being shortlisted for the prize gives graduates excellent opportunities, from selling their work to being taken on by galleries. This year, 32 works sold at the show, the most since the prize began.

The four finalists were Gabriella Boyd, Glasgow School of Art; Krystina Naylor, Nottingham Trent University; Jonny Briggs, Royal College of Art, London; and Ronin Cho, Goldsmiths, University of London. Jonny Briggs won the overall prize, with Gabriella Boyd being awarded a Special Commendation.