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Prizes and Awards

Each year, the University of Oxford offers a selection of art related prizes and awards. Ruskin students are invited to consider these opportunities in a bid to encourage their artistic development in new areas and are presented with awards in recognition of their expertise and success.

Academic and Examined Prizes

 

Gibbs Prize in Fine Art

The Gibbs Prize in Fine Art, is awarded by the examiners for the best overall result achieved across all aspects of the Final Honours School in Fine Art (BFA) – exhibition, portfolio, exam paper on History & Theory of Visual Culture and an extended essay.

 

  • Winner 2023: Long-Hin Shum (Lady Margaret Hall) prize winner; Loveday Pride (The Queen's College) proxime award
  • Winner 2022: Rowan Ireland (The Queen's College)
  • Winner 2021: Max Watkins (Exeter) prize winner; Joanna McClurg (Christ Church) accessit proxime award
  • Winner 2020: Josi McNeil (Queens)
  • Winner 2019: Clara Atkinson (Brasenose College)
  • Winner 2018: Rufus Rock (Brasenose College)
  • Winner 2017: Josie Perry (The Queen's College)
  • Winner 2016: Lucy Gregory (New College)
  • Winner 2015: Laurien Ash (Magdalen College)

 

Stuart Morgan Prize for Art History

The Stuart Morgan Prize is awarded by the examiners for the outstanding extended essay in BFA Finals. The prize commemorates the life and work of the art critic Stuart Morgan (1948-2002) who was a tutor at the Ruskin School from 1992-98. His criticism was renowned for its independence and originality, and a collection of his writings, What the Butler Saw, was published in 1996.

 

  • Winner 2023: Paul Majek-Oduyoye (Magdalen College)
  • Winner 2022: Liz Davies (New College)
  • Winner 2021: Joint winners Eleanor Capstick (St Catherine's) and Max Watkins (Exeter)
  • Winner 2020:  Ceidra Moon Murphy (New College)
  • Winner 2019: Kwan Queenie Li (St Anne's College)
  • Winner 2018: Daisy 'Sid' Smith (St John's College)
  • Winner 2017: Louise Tidmarsh (Brasenose College)
  • Winner 2016: Emily Carrington Freeman (Balliol)
  • Winner 2015: Laurien Ash (Magdalen College)

 

Geoffrey Rhoades Commemorative Bursary

The bursary will be awarded, if there is a candidate of sufficient merit, by the examiners in the Preliminary Examination in Fine Art to the candidate whom they regard as the most outstanding on the basis of work submitted for the examination.

  • Winner 2022: Peng Yao (Christ Church College)
  • Winner 2021: Paul Majek-Oduyoye (Magdalen)
  • Winner 2020: Ezra Allen (Magdalen)
  • Winner 2018: Ceidra Moon Murphy (New College)
  • Winner 2017: Clara Atkinson (Brasenose College)
  • Winner 2016: Ella Joyce (Worcester College)
  • Winner 2015: Josie Perry (The Queen's College)

 

Human Anatomy Prize

The prize is awarded for outstanding performance in Human Anatomy in the Preliminary Examination in Fine Art. The successful artist selects some work created during their year of anatomy study for display in the Ruskin library. 

  • Winner 2022: Temi Bandele (Lady Margaret Hall) and Maisie Goodfellow (St Edmund Hall)
  • Winner 2021: Heather Carter (New College) and Harmanpreet Randhawa (St Catherine's)
  • 2020: No Prize
  • Winner 2018: Emily Stevenhagen (St Catherine's)
  • Winner 2017: Rhian Harris-Mussi (Lady Margaret Hall)
  • Winner 2016: Jessica Heywood (St Edmund Hall)
  • Winner 2015: Margaret Chung (St Edmund Hall)

 

Other awards and prizes

 

Vivien Leigh Art Prize

A prize is offered by the Ashmolean Museum from the Vivien Leigh Fund for a two-dimensional work of art on paper, not exceeding 55 by 40 centimetres, by an undergraduate member of the University. It is a condition of the award that the winning work be given to the Ashmolean.

The work will be chosen, if a work of sufficient merit is submitted, by the Keeper of Western Art in the Ashmolean Museum from work submitted to the Ruskin (High Street) by Friday of seventh week in Trinity Term or work exhibited at the annual Degree Show at the Ruskin School of  Art.

  • Winner 2023: William Lowry (Brasenose College)
  • Winner 2022: Eliza Owen (Brasenose College)
  • Winner 2021: Valerie Amani (MFA) with special mention to Skye Seapp (Brasenose) and Georgia Salmond (Queens)
  • Winner 2020: Haffendi Anuar (MFA)
  • Winner 2019: Rhian Harris-Mussi (Lady Margaret Hall)
  • Winner 2018: Jessica Heywood (St Edmund Hall)
  • Winner 2017: Eleanor Minney (St Edmund Hall)
  • Winner 2016: Mariette Moor (St Edmund Hall)
  • Winner 2015: Joe Mackay (St Edmund Hall)

 

Kevin Slingsby Prize for Funnel Vision

The Kevin Slingsby Prize for Funnel Vision was open to all undergraduates at the Ruskin School of Art for work in any media. The prize was established in 2006 and ran until 2022. It celebrated the life and work of Kevin Slingsby, who taught at the Ruskin for 21 years and had a profound effect on the hundreds of students he worked with. The award winners were chosen for their creative and original thinking. The Ruskin is very grateful to the Slingsby family for supporting this prize for 15 years.

  • Winner 2022: Lue Campbell-Smith (St Edmund Hall)
  • 2021: No Prize
  • Winner 2020: Josi McNeil (Queens)
  • Winner 2019: Adam Storey (Queens)
  • Winner 2018: Daisy 'Sid' Smith (St. John's)
  • Winner 2017: Josie Perry (Queen's)
  • Winner 2016: Hannah Oram (St Hugh's)
  • Winner 2015: Jose-Mateo Revillo (Christ Church) 

 

Egerton Coghill Landscape Prize

The Egerton Coghill Landscape Prize will be awarded, if an entry of sufficient quality is submitted, for the best small landscape painting painted during the twelve months preceding the closing date for entries by a member of the University who is at that date reading for any degree, diploma, or certificate of the University.

Entries must not exceed four square feet in area and should be submitted to Head of School, Ruskin School of  Art, 74 High Street, Oxford OX1 4BG, no later than 12 noon on Friday of fourth Week in Trinity Term, with a statement signed by the competitor that the work has been painted in the preceding twelve months. No competitor may submit more than one entry for any one competition, and the winner of the prize in any one year shall not be eligible to compete in any subsequent year.

  • Winner 2023: Harmanpreet Randhawa (St Catherine's) with runners-up Antonia Jameson (LMH), Meghana Geetha (New College) and Eve Aspland (St Edmund Hall)
  • Winner 2022: Elleanna Chapman (Lady Margaret Hall)
  • Winner 2020: Tegan O'Hara (Christ Church)
  • Winner 2019: Joint winners Zoe Harding (Queens) and Harry Coday (St Edmund Hall)
  • Winner 2018: Julia Michiewicz (St. Catherine's)
  • Winner 2017: Luke Dawes (St Edmund Hall)
  • Winner 2016: Mariota Spens (Magdalen)
  • Winner 2015: Lucy Gregory (New College)

 

The Sir William Dunn School for Pathology Art Award

The Sir William Dunn School for Pathology Art Award is open to all undergraduates and postgraduates at the Ruskin School of Art.  Students are invited to submit proposals for a site-specific work that will be displayed at the Sir William Dunn School for Pathology, South Parks Road, Oxford.

Proposals should consist of a statement of approximately 250 words, with supporting visuals.  Works should be inspired by the Sir William Dunn School of Pathology, either directly through the subject area of pathology or by the school architecture.

The judging and announcement takes place in Trinity Term.
The winner will complete the commission over the summer vacation and install their work during the autumn. The Sir William Dunn School for Pathology retains the winning work for their art collection.
The Prize was briefly suspended in 2018.

 

  • Winner 2019: Mihaela Mann and Olivia Williamson
  • Winner 2016: Virginia Russolo (St Catherine's)
  • Winners 2015: Eleanor Minney (St Edmund Hall) and Mariette Moor (St Edmund Hall), with a special commission for Lucy Gregory (New College)

 

Full details of the prizes and awards can be found in the BFA Handbook.


last edited: March 7th 2024