The UK’s leading insurer of Grade I listed buildings, Ecclesiastical, has announced the launch of its annual Church Competition, with a top prize of £10,000 available to the winning church.
Entrants have been asked to submit a piece of original artwork on A3 paper that celebrates and encapsulates the role their church plays in its local community.
Entries can be created by anyone with a connection to the church both young and old.
The winning artwork will receive a prize of £10,000 for their church; with four runners-up receiving £2,500 each to contribute to the vital work that churches are doing to cement themselves as cornerstones of their local communities.
Ecclesiastical will be combining the best entries with the aim of creating ‘The Great Community Mural’, the largest piece of community art ever been produced in the UK. The Mural will be unveiled at a prestigious cathedral and then displayed in a number of others around the UK this Autumn.
The Mural will also feature an original piece of work by Christian artist Tim Steward, who has seen his work exhibited all around the UK, much of which is notable for its celebration of church architecture.
Michael Angell, church operations director at Ecclesiastical, said: “For 130 years, Ecclesiastical has insured church buildings, helping them retain their crucial place within the fabric of the communities they serve.
“We hope that The Great Community Mural will act as a visual celebration of this relationship between church and community, with contributions submitted by parishes up and down the UK.
Last year, the competition resulted in a huge number of entries detailing support being provided by churches up and down the country, such as hosting toddler groups, engaging with the elderly community and maintaining community gardens to provide produce for local foodbanks.
Mr Angell added: “We know that there is already a huge amount of work being done by churches all over the UK and we can’t wait to see what churches come up with in this year’s competition.”
To find out more about how you can enter this year’s competition, click here.
