Established in 2008, The Columbia Threadneedle Prize (formerly the Threadneedle Prize) has grown to become the UK’s leading competition for figurative and representational painting and sculpture. It is also one of the most valuable art prizes in the country.

The Columbia Threadneedle Prize provides a forum to showcase work that is shaping the future of art. Each year a panel of selectors chooses approximately 80 – 120 works from open submission to make up the Columbia Threadneedle Prize exhibition. From that collection, a short-list of works and ultimately The Columbia Threadneedle Prize winner is selected. The winner receives £20,000, plus their own one-week exhibition at Mall Galleries in the succeeding year (valued at £10,000). The other short-listed artists each receive £1,000, and all works selected for the exhibition are eligible to win the £10,000 Visitor’s Choice Prize.

The number of submissions for the Prize has continued to grow and in 2012 it was opened up to artists in continental Europe. For the 2016 Prize almost 2,000 artists submitted over 3,800 works, exceeding almost every other major open exhibition in the UK.

The Prize provides artists with an opportunity to showcase their work at Mall Galleries, in the heart of London, one of the world’s greatest art cities. The debate generated by the Prize and exhibition contributes to the ongoing reassessment of contemporary figurative art and helps to engage the public with a continuously evolving art form. With Columbia Threadneedle’s support, Mall Galleries is able to offer free admission to the exhibition and, as wider promotion has begun reaching out to new audiences, annual visitor numbers have increased from nearly 3,000 in 2008 to over 13,000 in 2014. The growing popularity of the exhibition has resulted in a strengthening of links with existing audiences, as well as a platform for increasing interest and awareness in the Mall Galleries and its educational programmes from within the wider cultural sector. This has led to a series of new collaborations for the Mall Galleries with diverse community organisations, including The Royal Parks, the Wandsworth Museum, Notting Hill Housing Trust and the Rebridge Museum.

For more information visit www.columbiathreadneedleprize.com

The Columbia Threadneedle Prize is part of a broader partnership with Mall Galleries, home to the Federation of British Artists and a major visual arts charity that champions new contemporary figurative art by living artists. Mall Galleries aims to promote, inspire and educate audiences about the visual arts. As a charity, it places great importance on its educational activities, with arts-based workshops and programmes that use exhibitions as inspiration to reach out to children and young adults who face disabilities and other challenges. In its new Learning Centre, Mall Galleries hosts:

• long-term projects with Pupil Referral Units and community groups
• programmes for children with emotional and behavioural difficulties
• school-based talks and art workshops
• professional development discussions with community group leaders.

In 2013 we committed to a long-term partnership with national charity The Art Room, which supports 5-16 year olds who are experiencing emotional and behavioural difficulties.

The Art Room offers art as therapy to children and young people who are facing major challenges in their lives, using art to raise their self-esteem, self-confidence and independence. Many of these students are disengaged, are disruptive or withdrawn and are identified by their teachers as benefiting from extra support and time outside of the classroom.

The Art Room works with a wide range of children facing educational interruptions or having learning difficulties – they might be prime carers within a family, have learning difficulties or might be on the autistic spectrum. We are helping this small and highly innovative charity to build capacity and develop new centres in London over the coming three years.

"The Art Room...offers severely troubled school-children a beautifully equipped and staffed art room as a refuge where they might catch a glimpse into their own creative power; where they might be reflective and not tossed about by the chaos of their lives. The teachers are also trained counsellors who help them, and together the room and the teachers and the making of art provide a safe haven."
Grayson Perry CBE, Patron, The Art Room
(source: Grayson Perry, Playing to the Gallery, GB, Particular Books 2014)

FACE TIME: An exhibition in aid of the Art Room

In June 2014 The Art Room held a major fundraising exhibition, in partnership with the Foundation and Mall Galleries. Over 60 leading international artists generously created new works, including painters, sculptors, designers and photographers. The majority of works were based on a clock face, representing The Art Room’s approach of using tangible items which the children can transform into works of art. The clock is a favourite project for Art Room students. All works were for sale, raising over £65,000 for The Art Room.

'Bringing Face Time to fruition was a true collaboration, with our teams working together to draw on the skills and resources of both the business and arts sectors. In addition to the fundraising exhibition, together we hosted workshops for Art Room students, employee networking and client events during the week to shine a light on the innovative and impactful work of The Art Room.'
Campbell Fleming, Threadneedle CEO

'The Art Room is all about offering a child ‘face time’: a moment away from the challenges they are having in their daily lives, where they have the support and space to re-engage with their inner strengths. This exhibition encapsulates the very essence of The Art Room by bringing together artists from all disciplines; celebrating the importance of diversity; the magic of creativity and power of the imagination to transform everyday objects into something special.
Yinka Shonibare MBE, Patron, The Art Room

Arts For All is a highly creative charity serving the London communities of Tower Hamlets and Hackney. The charity runs structured weekly art therapy sessions to engage people of all ages from diverse cultures and backgrounds including those with special needs. The centre is in one of the most deprived areas of the UK, with some 85% of families served being unemployed and 75% with English as their second language.

Through long-term support, Arts For All builds confidence, helps people achieve their goals and changes lives. We provided funding to support the KALEIDOSCOPE club, which runs three times per week after school to offer young people aged 5-16 a sanctuary where they can feel safe, supported and encouraged to achieve their potential.

Scrapstore is an environmental charity, social enterprise and community resource centre providing the Swindon community with low cost, environmentally friendly resources for use in recreational, educational and leisure time activities.

Columbia Threadneedle has a large office in Swindon and in 2014 our local employees supported Scrapstore’s Creative Art & Craft workshops, which use scrap materials for innovative arts-based projects that encourage local communities to be actively involved. Facilitated by local artists, the workshops develop the children’s abilities, whilst demonstrating that all kinds of materials can be used in creative and practical ways. Many of the children involved are disadvantaged and from hard to reach sections of the community. The ethos of the workshops is to promote children’s creativity, to experiment, risk take and not to have predetermined outcomes.