The RDS, in association with the Crafts Council of Ireland is proud to announce the call for submissions for the 2009 RDS National Crafts Competition.
Now in its 41st year, the Competition boasts 20 categories with a prize fund in excess of €30,000. Open to craft workers and designers in Ireland and Irish craft workers based abroad it is one of the largest competitions in Europe independently adjudicated by a list of distinguished judges.
The RDS National Crafts Competition and subsequent Travelling Exhibitions are a unique opportunity for craft workers and designers to compete for prestigious prizes and exhibit their work to a national and international audience. Many of today’s top Irish Designers and Craftspeople have entered the Competition securing prizes that have contributed to the development of their careers.
There are awards and prizes in each of the 20 categories which range from contemporary ceramics to weaving for fashion and furnishings. For the first time ever applications for the Competition will be online. Applicants are invited to submit their details at www/rds.ie/crafts by May 18, 2009 and then forward photographs of high quality to the RDS for the first round of judging.
Two new awards in the 2009 Competition include a prize of €250 which will be awarded in the woodturning category sponsored by the Woodturners Guild of Ireland and a prize of €300 sponsored by the Patchwork and Quilting Society of Ireland for an outstanding entry using traditional technique.
The highlight of the RDS National Crafts Competition is the Prize Winners Exhibition held annually during the Fáilte Ireland Dublin Horse Show from August 5-9, 2009. Packed under the roof of the RDS Concert Hall, prize winning craft of every shape and size will be on display. According to Sue Woolhouse, Chairman of the 2008 RDS National Crafts Competition Judging Panel, she is “always surprised and delighted by the breadth and wealth of creativity of current practitioners in Ireland”.
Selected works from the RDS National Crafts Competition will travel to three regional venues in Ireland as part of the Travelling Programme. Venues include Birr Theatre and Arts Centre, Birr, Co. Offaly; the Regional Cultural Centre, Letterkenny, Co. Donegal and the Sirius Arts Centre in Cobh, Co. Cork. The RDS National Crafts Competition and Travelling Exhibitions form part of the RDS Foundation Arts Programme.
For further information please contact:
JP Montgomery
Marketing Executive, RDS
Direct: 01 240 7222
jp@rds.ie