Capturing the feeling of a nation
A UK-wide competition celebrating creative works inspired by mental health and wellbeing.
Experience an online exhibition touching on a topic which impacts all of us
The online exhibition is now closed
A UK wide competition celebrating creative works covering mental health & wellbeing
£1,500 in cash prizes
One thousand pounds for the first prize, with two hundred and fifty pounds for the runner up and public vote winners.
Incredible judges
Get your work in front of incredible industry judges.
Promotion across all our channels (and beyond!)
With a total social media following of over 70,000. We’ll share the most impactful/inspirational works across the whole competition.
Introductions to relevant organisations
Where we can, we’ll try and put some of you in front of organisations we know will like your work.
Amplifying exposure to a cause through creativity
The last 5 years have brought about large societal changes which have forced many of us to reshape the ways we live. And even though we have never been so connected to one another, we have also never been so lonely.
We hope that by coming together and sharing our work we can feel less isolated, share our collective thoughts, and ultimately capture the feeling of a Nation in a unique digital exhibition.
Everyone should have access to creativity
For this competition, we have chosen to raise funds for Create.
Create runs creative arts workshops with the UK’s most disadvantaged and vulnerable people, raising their aspirations, building self-esteem, reducing isolation and enhancing wellbeing.
You’ll be able to choose to donate as you apply (strictly optional).
Sharing how we perceive the world builds empathy and allows us to collectively reshape our future
Guy Armitage
Founder (Zealous)
Jury
Our thanks go to these incredible people for helping us select the most impactful works.
Esther Freud
Novelist
Esther Freud trained as an actress before writing her first novel, Hideous Kinky, which was made into a film starring Kate Winslett. After publishing her second book she was chosen as one of Granta’s Best Young British Novelists.
Her other novels include The Sea House, Lucky Break and Mr. Mac and Me, and most recently, I Couldn’t Love You More. Her first full-length play Stitchers was produced at The Jermyn St Theater in 2018 and in 2019 she was made a fellow of the Royal Society of Literature. She is a patron of the charity Create.
Photo by Jillian Edelstein
Abdul Abdullah
Artist
Abdul Abdullah is an Australian multi-disciplinary artist. As a self-described ‘outsider amongst outsiders’ with a post-9/11 mindset, his practice is primarily concerned with the experience of the ‘other’.
Abdullah’s projects have engaged with different marginalized minority groups and he is particularly interested in the disjuncture between perception/projection of identity and the reality of lived experience.
Emma Chetcuti
Director at Multistory
Emma Chetcuti is the Director of Multistory, a community arts organisation building meaningful connections between local communities and artists to produce creative projects that tell stories of everyday life.
Multistory believes in the power of art to reflect the times we live in and tell stories to bring people together. They do so by working with a wide range of communities, creatives and partners to reimagine their local area, platform under-represented voices and inspire creativity and social change.
Multistory supports creatives through collaborative projects, employment, bursaries and skills development opportunities.
Jon Opie
Deputy Director of Jerwood Arts
Jon Opie has worked on Jerwood Arts grant-making since 2011. Having started out as a fundraiser at Hampstead Theatre and administrator for the Independent Theatre Council, he has a particular interest in the performing arts.
For Jerwood Arts, he has also been Jerwood Arts’ lead on initiatives in dance and literature, and has played a supporting act to his colleagues delivering exhibitions at Jerwood Space and nationally on tour. He has been a Trustee of Cardboard Citizens Theatre Company since 2016.
Guy Winch
Licensed Psychologist
Guy Winch is a leading advocate for integrating the science of emotional health into our daily lives, workplaces, and education systems.
Guy’s books have been translated into 28 languages and his three TED Talks have garnered over 30 million views. He writes Dear Guy for TED.com, the Squeaky Wheel Blog for PsychologyToday.com and is the co-host with Lori Gottlieb, of the Dear Therapists podcast from iHeartRadio.
His advisory work includes Lipton’s #Unlonely campaign, Apellis Pharmaceuticals, and startups Alma and Circles. He maintains a private practice in New York City and is a member of the American Psychological Association. Learn more at guywinch.com.
Past Initiatives
