Young winners of the Grantham Climate Art Prize have their designs supersized into three outdoor public murals in London, Coventry and Glasgow.
A fourth Highly Commended mural, designed by a 12-year-old Aaryan from Barnet, will also be unveiled alongside an outdoor exhibition of young entrant’s illustrations close to the revamped Battersea Power Station.
The winners, and 6 runners up – some of whom are from in and around London – will also have their art shown to the world for two weeks, on billboards across London and its tube network launching ahead of COP28. They include winner Ria, 21, from Barking, and runner up Kelvin,13, from Wood Green.
The Grantham Institute – Climate Change and the Environment at Imperial College London – a leading authority on climate and environmental science – and Octopus Energy gave young people the chance to design public art on the theme of ‘Palette for the Planet: a greener, cleaner, cooler, future’, inspired by the Grantham Institute’s 9 things you can do about climate change. The winning designs were painted by local professional artists.
The project highlights the climate action needed ahead of the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28) starting on 30th November 2023 in Dubai.
Almost 1,200 young people entered the competition. The murals give them the opportunity to tell the world’s leaders, through art, what we need to do to secure our planet for future generations. These actions depicted through art include reducing energy use and bills, expanding green travel, protecting nature and eating less meat and dairy.
London’s winning mural was designed by Janet from Rochdale, Greater Manchester, for the 15-18 age group and is titled ‘Use Your Voice’. The mural was painted by local artist Michelle Meola and is at West Norwood Orford Court, Elmcourt Road, West Norwood SE27 9DB.
Glasgow’s winning mural was designed by Ria from Barking, east London, from the 19-25 age group and is titled ‘Team Green’. The mural was painted by local artists Ciaran Globel and Conzo Throb and is at Cresswell Lane, Glasgow G12 8AA.
Coventry’s winning mural was designed by Samuel from Sutton in Surrey from the 11-14 age group and is titled ‘Forward to a Greener Future’. The mural was painted by local artist Michael Batchelor from Street Art Strategy and is at 216 Binley Road, Coventry CV31HG.
Meanwhile, the Highly Commended mural in Pump House Lane, Nine Elms SW8 4DG was designed by Aaryan age 12 from Barnet in north London, and painted by local artists Karla Rosales Garcia and Roger Rigol. This part of the project has been sponsored by developer Ballymore.
Artwork featured in the “9 things you can do about climate change” exhibition in Nine Elms includes work by shortlisted entrants Yamen from Bexley, south London, Latifatul from Hammersmith in west London and Alicia from Chelmsford in Essex.
Grantham Climate Art Prize Project Manager Linsey Wynton said: “The 2023 art prize has given young people a chance to draw attention to what a more sustainable world could look like. The finished murals, billboards and exhibition will depict their visions of the futures they want to see. Many people will pass these each day – hopefully they’ll be inspired by the scenarios they depict – from making our voices heard by those in power, to protecting nature, greening our actions and eating less meat and dairy and more plant-based foods.”
Rebecca Dibb-Simkin, Chief Marketing and Product Officer at Octopus Energy said: “This year’s prize has given young people a very clear voice in the climate debate and a platform to share their dreams and ambitions with millions. The fantastic winning designs remind us that everyone is doing their part to turn the tide on climate change, in any way possible. These brilliant young artists are not only raising awareness of the issue but inspiring change throughout our communities.”
To see the 3 winning designs and 6 runner up designs from young people across the UK go to https://octopus.energy/grantham-art-prize-2023-winners/
