London City Airport Annual Art Awards - Winners Announced

The winners of the 10^th London City Airport Annual Art Awards were announced at an award ceremony on Monday 4 June 2007. Sponsored by Newham, the awards are an annual art competition for both amateur and professional artists and photographers living within the vicinity of the airport.

The first prize of £500 was awarded to Sophie Drury of East Ham for her art entitled ‘Remembering the Docks’. Brian Hunt of East Ham scooped the second prize of £300 for his piece ‘Touchdown’ whilst in third place, Ken Collins of Ilford took home a £200 prize for his ‘Welcome to London City Airport’ artwork. Two other entrants were also highly commended for their submitted art. Rhoda Webb and Daksha Amin, both from Forest Gate, were each presented with a bottle of champagne in recognition of their creative work.

Sir Robin Wales, Mayor of Newham, presented the awards to the winners at an exclusive prize-giving reception hosted by Richard Gooding, Chief Executive of London City Airport.

“It is an honour to recognise the creative flair our local community has to offer. The London City Airport Annual Art Awards are a great opportunity to showcase the creative work of budding artists in and around Newham,” said Sir Robin.

“The airport has worked closely with the local community since its opening in 1987. With over 10,000 passengers travelling through the airport on a daily basis, we are proud to be able to offer a platform to exhibit the works of some of the most talented members of our community to an international audience,” said Richard Gooding.

The overall first prize winner, Sophie Drury, celebrated double success as the winning artwork was confirmed as being sold to a passenger of the airport just hours before the award ceremony was due to take place. Business traveller Paul Gant purchased Sophie’s ‘Remembering the Docks’ after seeing it on his way to a business meeting in Frankfurt. “I was travelling through the airport when the artwork caught my attention. It is a very beautiful design that stayed in my mind. I came back with my daughter over the weekend and seeing the art again confirmed that I wanted to purchase it,” said Mr Gant.

Sophie Drury, a student of the University of East London, commented on her accolade and the sale of her artwork, “it’s a privilege to receive this award and I’m extremely excited to be recognised by both the organisers and the buyer of my art. As a family we used to go to the docks and walk along side the river, and over the years I have watched it all grow and change into the thriving community that it now is. Always having had a passion for photography I wanted to record this change and capture my memories”.

The exhibition will be on display in the airport terminal until Thursday 7 June 2007.