WHATdo an Ayrshire drama group, a Dundee-based organ preservation society, a creative writing group in Dumfries & Galloway, art exhibition in Fife, a Caithness heritage society and a Renfrewshire drumming group have in common?
They’ve all made it onto the shortlist for the 2011 Scottish Epic Awards!
And now people can vote for their favourite to win a People’s Choice award.
The Epic Awards are an initiative of Voluntary Arts, the development agency for amateur arts and crafts activity across the UK and Republic of Ireland.
Voluntary arts groups from Scotland, England, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland entered the Epic Awards, with just a handful chosen from each nation to go through to the next round. An overall winner and runner-up from each country will be chosen by a panel of experts – but the People’s Choice award for each nation will be voted for by the public.
To read all about the shortlisted entries, and vote for their favourite projects, people should visit http://www.epicawards.co.uk. Deadline for voting is Monday 16 January 2012.
The shortlisted entries all used their skills and passions to improve life in their local community.
Some raised money for charity or helped with health problems or tackled social issues, others simply opened up the joy of arts participation to new people.
All of them used volunteer effort to make a difference.
The winning groups will receive a package of prizes including cash, vouchers, membership to a leading arts organisation and an invitation to a prestigious awards ceremony to be held in London in early 2012.
The two Scottish winners will be announced on the Epic Awards website at the end of January.
ENDS
Notes to editors:
Images of the six shortlisted groups and the Epic Awards logo are available from Kelly Donaldson, Information Officer, Voluntary Arts Scotland on email: kelly@vascotland.org.uk or tel: 07843 056023.
Epic Awards and Voluntary Arts
The Epic Awards are an initiative of Voluntary Arts and aim to identify and promote excellent art and craft practice that exists within the voluntary arts sector. Voluntary Arts is the national development agency for arts participation. The organisation raises awareness of the contribution that the voluntary and amateur arts and crafts make to the well-being of communities, social inclusion, lifelong learning, active citizenship and volunteering.
Prizes
There is a package of prizes which includes:
- £125 cash for each winner
- Annual membership of Arts Development UK (worth £165) for each winner
- GreatArt gift vouchers worth £250 for each winner
- GreatArt gift vouchers worth £100 for each runner-up
- National publicity for the winners and an invitation to a prestigious winners’ reception
- A pair of tickets to attend Twisted Thread’s textile craft show at either Olympia, London or Harrogate, Yorkshire.
- Plus training and mentoring
In addition, the People’s Choice winner from each country will receive a free year’s subscription to Voluntary Arts’ brand new online Running Your Group resources (Level 3), worth £69. Running Your Group will be launched with Voluntary Arts’ new website in early January 2012.
Full details of prizes can be found on the Epic Awards website: www.epicawards.co.uk.
Sponsors
People’s Voice Media’s vision is to connect communities through the use of social media to support civil society and improve governance. A not-for-profit community development organisation that supports communities to have a voice, they empower individuals and groups to tell their own stories and develop their own solutions. http://peoplesvoicemedia.co.uk/
Audiences UK is the national network of Audience Development Agencies, organisations that specialise in understanding how to engage and develop audiences. Twelve core member agencies work collaboratively to develop and deliver programmes and services based on the needs of their regions. http://www.audiencesuk.org/
Arts Development UK is a professional association, with a membership drawn from local authorities and those working in the creative industries sector in England and Wales. Their objectives are to offer practical advice, networking and support to the profession, and to advocate for the important contribution that the arts and creative industries make to today’s crosscutting agendas, such as social inclusion. http://artsdevelopmentuk.org
GreatArt has the UK’s largest range of art materials. Still very much a family business, GreatArt prides itself on the experience and expertise of its managers and staff whose specialist knowledge of the art supplies industry helps to ensure the efficient operation of Europe’s most comprehensive and competitive one-stop shop for quality art materials. http://www.greatart.co.uk/
Twistedthread organise five exhibitions annually for creative, crafty people who appreciate textile art. Their shows offer a great visitor experience combining exhibitions, workshops, shopping, lectures and competitions. http://www.twistedthread.com/
Mailout.co is the home of information, sharing and networking for participatory arts in the UK and further afield. Their mission is to champion outstanding participatory arts in more places with more people and support a world leading community of professional practitioners. http://mailout.co/
MEDIA RELEASE posted by Voluntary Arts Scotland. You too can post media releases (aka press releases) on allmediascotland.com. For more information, email here.
Contact: Kelly Donaldson
Phone: 0131 225 7355 / 07843 056023
Email: kelly@vascotland.org.uk
Website: http://www.epicawards.co.uk
