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Call for entries to 25th John Moores Contemporary Painting Prize

LIVERPOOL, UK.- Artists can register for the 25th John Moores Contemporary Painting Prize from 5 November 2007. The show promises to be more of a revelation than ever with conceptual artists Jake and Dinos Chapman taking part as jurors. The Chapman brothers, who work almost exclusively together, came to prominence during the 1990s as part of the generation of so-called YBAs or Young British Artists.

Other judges for the competition are art critic Sacha Craddock and artists Paul Morrison and Graham Crowley, both former John Moores prize-winners. The judging will take place throughout 2008 and will result in an exhibition at the Walker Art Gallery from 20 September 2008 to 4 January 2009, forming a central part of the Liverpool Biennial.

The John Moores Contemporary Painting Prize is an open submission competition available to all UK-based artists working with paint. Fifty years on from the first exhibition, the 25th is taking place during 2008, when Liverpool is the European Capital of Culture.

Reyahn King, director of art galleries at National Museums Liverpool, says: "The John Moores competition offers contemporary artists not only a £25,000 prize but participation in the John Moores exhibition. The exhibition at the Walker Art Gallery is a central strand of the Liverpool Biennial, and will be a showcase for contemporary artists during Liverpool's time as the European Capital of Culture in 2008. Uniquely, the John Moores competition has stayed contemporary whilst maintaining its focus on painting over the half century since the first competition was held."

Littlewoods founder Sir John Moores, a keen painter, started the exhibition in 1957. In the last 50 years nearly 2,000 artists have exhibited including household names such as David Hockney, Peter Doig and Richard Hamilton. Almost 100 people have sat on the jury including singer Jarvis Cocker, writer Germaine Greer and artists Peter Blake and Tracey Emin. The Moores family remain involved through the Walker’s partnership with the John Moores Liverpool Exhibition Trust.

The final deadline for artists to register is 15 February 2008 – registration details can be found on www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/johnmoores or from the Walker Art Gallery. Images must be sent in by 29 February 2008 and winners will be announced at the opening of the exhibition.

This year artists will be able to submit digital images for the first time for Stage 1 of judging. Entries have to be original new or recent paintings within a set size, designed to hang on walls, by someone who lives, or is based, in the United Kingdom. Full conditions are in the call for entries leaflet and on the website. Judges will see all shortlisted artworks at Stage 2 of the judging process which will take place in Liverpool.

This was posted on the Art4Development Yahoo! groups listserv.