The Gibraltar Heritage Trust held its 34th Annual Painting Competition on Saturday 13th May.

A statement from the Gibraltar Heritage Trust follows below:

We were delighted to see many artists return this year as well as some new artists join in the competition. Participants had the opportunity to choose a view of the walls between Ragged Staff Gate and Charles V Wall which included South Bastion Wall, South Port Gate and Prince Edward’s Gate. Our slogan this year was ‘What a country chooses to save, is what a country chooses to say about itself’ to highlight the fast-paced change to our urban landscape and the threat of losing elements of our architectural heritage. By drawing attention to these walls through the medium of art we trust that participants, and all those who view their work, will come to appreciate the variety in our landscape, come to value it and be inspired by it. 

The artworks created are once again of an extremely high calibre, making the adjudication quite a task for our judges. There are four categories of winners: Infants aged 6 & under, Children aged between 7 & 10, Juniors aged 11 to 17 and Adults 18 & over. 

All entries were painted live on location between 09:00am and 17:00pm, however this year due to the heavy rainfall, artists were allowed to complete their paintings at home. School entries, including artworks from Giorann Henshaw’s Art Class, were completed in the week leading up to the main event with a short history of the walls and area also being given to participants by Manolo Galliano.

The Trust would like to thank the judges John-Paul Bautista, John Langdon, and Manolo Galliano.

Below are the results and prizes for this year’s winners. 

The first prize of £1,000 in the adult category was sponsored by Gibraltar Cultural Services.

The prizes were presented by Minister for Heritage, The Hon Dr. John Cortes and Chairman of the Gibraltar Heritage Trust, Ian Balestrino, at the exhibition opening on 24th May.

All entries are on display in the Lower Exhibition Room at the John Mackintosh Hall from Thursday 25th May to Friday 2nd June, 09:00hrs to 18:00hrs. Entrance is Free.