Mary Hare student WINS national competition at the National Gallery in London.

Sixth Former, Georgie, was awarded top prize in the Grand Final of the national competition, Articulation, which took place at the National Gallery in London. 

The annual Articulation Prize is a national competition that invites those aged 16 to 19 to deliver a 10-minute presentation on a work of art, architecture, or an artefact of their choice. Entrants go through heat rounds and regional finals before proceeding to the Grand Final, which takes place at the National Gallery. This year over 100 schools throughout the country participated with over 1,000 entries across the competition .

Following a successful progression through the heats and competing against 9 other speakers at the Southern Regional Finals in Ashmolean Museum in Oxford, Georgie was selected for the Grand Final in London which took place on Tuesday 28th March. Georgie inspired an audience of over 200 with her talk exploring the work of Canadian artists Janet Cardiff and George Bures Miller and their artwork ‘The Dark Pool‘. All 9 finalists were assessed by the adjudicator, Dr Gabriele Finaldi, who is the Director of the National Gallery. Talking about Georgie's presentation, Dr Gabriele Finaldi says,

“We were immediately introduced to ideas of fear and of memory. Georgie outlined how these works can trigger fear and how, by doing so, they help us to understand ourselves. Georgie got inside the artists‘ minds and spoke about how being an active participant was important, concluding that installation art is incredibly valuable.”

Georgie shares her experience, “I was very shocked when they announced my name. All the speakers were amazing and any one of them deserved to win. I have really enjoyed meeting new people through this event. It has helped my confidence enormously. Having the opportunity to talk about my love for art and make reference to my interest in theatre has been amazing.”

Mary Hare Principal, Robin Askew, says,

“Georgie is a talented artist who has impressed staff with her passion for both the creative and performing arts. Her achievement in winning this competition is thoroughly deserved and made even more remarkable considering her profound hearing loss.”

Dr Gabriele Finaldi congratulated all finalists on their presentations, stating that it is ‘no small thing to speak in public, in front of large audience, and in this particular place‘ and stressed how they had all done this particularly well.

Well done Georgie, this is an outstanding achievement and we are incredibly proud! 

Photos © Hydar Dewachi