Young artistic talent from across the island was celebrated at the 2025 Sovereign Art Foundation (SAF) Isle of Man Students Art Prize, with students from Douglas and beyond gaining top honours at an awards ceremony held at Woodbourne House recently.
Grace Miller, a student at St Ninian’s High School in Douglas, was named winner of the prestigious Judges’ Prize for her acrylic painting ‘On the Edge of Time’.
Grace received a personal prize of £800, while her school was awarded a £2,000 grant to support creative learning and artistic development across the wider student body.
The Public Vote Prize was awarded to Ballakermeen High School student Patience Gore for her oil painting ‘Ornamental Absence – The Melancholy of the Forgotten Mother’.
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Her work attracted the highest number of votes both online and from visitors to the exhibition. Patience received £400, and Ballakermeen was awarded a £1,000 grant.
Now in its eighth year, the Isle of Man Students Art Prize aims to highlight the importance of art in education while giving young artists a platform to showcase their work to a wider audience.
Teachers from secondary schools across the island were invited to nominate students, resulting in a record-breaking 89 submissions.
From these, 30 artworks were shortlisted for the Finalists’ Exhibition, which ran throughout October at Noble’s Hospital.
Both Grace and Patience will now progress to the Global Students Prize, where winning artworks from SAF student competitions worldwide will compete for the Global Judges Prize and Global Public Vote Prize.
This year also saw the introduction of two new under-16 awards, sponsored by Standard Bank Offshore.
The Under-16 Judges Prize was won by Eleanor Wheeler of King William’s College for her charcoal, pastel and pencil drawing ‘Kes’.
Eleanor received £250, with her school awarded a £750 grant. She was also presented with the Simcocks Originality Prize, sponsored by Simcocks Advocates, receiving an additional £400.
The Under-16 Public Vote Prize went to fellow King William’s College student Polina Popandopulo for her oil pastel artwork ‘Two Koi’. Polina received £100, while her school received a £400 grant.
Finalists were given the opportunity to sell their artworks through a silent auction, with proceeds split equally between the students and two local charities: Manx Children’s Art Therapy and Arts Aid.
In total, the 2025 Isle of Man Students Art Prize raised more than £5,000 for charitable causes.
The ceremony was attended by Lieutenant Governor Sir John Lorimer and Lady Philippa Lorimer, who also served on the judges panel, alongside the Mayor and Mayoress of Douglas (Councillor Steven Crellin and Samantha Crellin), members of the House of Keys and representatives from arts and business communities.
The Sovereign Art Foundation thanked all students, teachers, sponsors, judges and hosts for making the 2025 Students Prize a resounding success, congratulating the young artists for their creativity, dedication and achievement.