VCUarts Qatar announces Fine Art Award in Partnership with Ministry of Education and Higher Education

The competition is titled: “God is Beautiful and Loves Beauty”: A Dialogue on the Concept of Beauty in Arab and Islamic Culture.

According to Dr. Aissa Deebi, Director of the Department of Painting and Printmaking, VCUarts Qatar, “We are partnering with the Ministry of Education and Higher Education on this competition to nurture and develop an interest in fine arts among high school students in Qatar.  We hope the introduction of this new award will contribute to opportunities for students at the high school level to explore their creativity, engage with a top art and design school, and perhaps be recognized on the national stage.”

The Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) at the Department of Painting + Printmaking (PAPR) at VCUarts Qatar prepares the new generation of creative practitioners to become accomplished and confident artists with independent professional practices in the arts.

The program reflects the dynamic attitude towards contemporary art, with emphasis on experimentation and intellectual inquiry and program brings together a diverse community of artists, researchers, educators, curators, activists, and creative professionals to foster collaboration and interdisciplinary learning.  Students experiment with a wide range of traditional and contemporary media, including drawing, painting, 3D art, new media, sculpture, installation, photography, film, sound, performance, animation, and printmaking, gaining the skills and knowledge to become versatile artists with a broad range of expertise.

The Fine Art Award for high school students seeks to explore beauty as it is expressed in nature, Islamic art, ethics, and the pursuit of knowledge. This dialogue is inspired by the noble hadith: “God is Beautiful and Loves Beauty,” which reflects the highest values ​​of beauty in Arab and Islamic culture.

The competition is now open to receive entries. For more information on guidelines for participation, please contact [email protected] or click here to view the submission form.  

The competition closes for submissions on February 10^th, 2025. Later that month, an official announcement of award winners and an exhibition of top works will take place.