The People Show - Sponsored by Cravens

The People Show is now on at the University Gallery, Northumbria University from August 1st to September 12th 2008.

Admission is free. Open 10am-5pm Monday to Thursday and 10am-4pm on Friday and Saturday. Closed August Bank Holiday.

With over 350 paintings, drawings, prints, photographs, sculptures and films submitted it was never going to be an easy task for our judges to choose this year’s People Show winners. But choose they have and below you’ll find the results: the cat’s pyjamas, the bee’s knees, the dog’s...well, you get the idea. First prize goes to Tynedale-based artist Peter McGlynn, with Brita Granstrom of Berwick coming a close second. The student prize went to Carly Rybak from Stockton, while the Peter Straughan photography prize was awarded to Newcastle’s Paul Spillett.

Chris Hill, Chairman of Cravens said: “We created The People Show in conjunction with the University Gallery to celebrate the diverse range of creative talent on offer in the region. This year’s entries reinforced the fact that the North East is home to some incredibly gifted artists. The winners were chosen for their imaginative stand out and originality of execution.”

Winner Peter McGlynn was also delighted with the result: “After entering and attending The People Show for as long as I can remember I was thrilled to hear the news that I had actually won it. To pick my piece out from all the other fantastic artwork on offer is nothing less than staggering – particularly as the subject matter isn’t the easiest. I would like to thank all the judges for making a brave decision and the University Gallery for their continued support and encouragement towards my highly autobiographical work over the years. Also a big cheer to Cravens for their generosity with the prize money – it’ll certainly come in handy I can tell you!”

Stop it Peter, you’re making us blush. Visitors to the University Gallery at Northumbria  can see a selection of the best entries from this year’s competition from 1st August to 12th September. They’re all for sale, so if a particular work catches your eye there’s every chance it could end up on your living room wall. Next year The People Show celebrates its tenth birthday and it promises to be the biggest and best show yet. See you there.