Two Fermanagh galleries have once again sponsored awards for the prestigious Royal Ulster Academy (RUA) of Arts Annual Exhibition, which is celebrating its 140th year.

The RUA annual exhibition – one of the most eagerly awaited events of Northern Ireland’s cultural calendar – opened to the public on October 28 at the Ulster Museum in Belfast.

Fermanagh galleries Hambly & Hambly Gallery and Cultural Hub, and The Devenish Galleries, Enniskillen, continue to play their part with KPMG, the Arts Council, NIVAC, and many others in sponsoring major prizes in this long-established RUA annual exhibition for a second year.

Attracting entries from local, regional, internationally-renowned, emerging as well as established artists, the RUA received an outstanding response from 1,557 artists, with 200 selected by an esteemed panel of judges to exhibit alongside 69 Royal Ulster Academicians.

Andrzej Mazur was selected as the recipient of the John Richardson Residency Award, sponsored by Hambly & Hambly, for his piece ‘Insomnia’.

Ciara Hambly, of Hambly & Hambly Gallery and Cultural Hub, said: “This stunning work, ‘Insomnia’, by Andrzej Mazur, with its surreal concept of mixing eras, combining classical with contemporary art, makes it a winning piece.

“His work is groundbreaking in both genre and technique and we are thrilled to represent him in the future. His technique is utterly flawless.”

Ciara added: “The John Richardson sponsorship award offers Hambly & Hambly a wonderful new beginning in partnership with Andrzej, guaranteeing him £1,000 towards art materials, a one-week residency with Hambly & Hambly, and a solo exhibition.

“We are delighted to have selected Andrzej as our winner and thank the RUA for offering us this exceptional collaborative opportunity to bond with such a stand-out talented artist for representation and relationship in the future.”

The Devenish Galleries, Enniskillen was also thrilled to continue to collaborate with the RUA in sponsoring the Outstanding Artist Award, which was awarded to Colin Murphy for his work, ‘Small Portrait’.

Commenting on his award, Colin said: “I was, and still am, thrilled to be the recipient of the RUA Outstanding Artist Award, sponsored by The Devenish Galleries.

“I only started making art again about six years ago after a 20-year gap. Getting into the RUA show is thrilling in itself, but to be a prize winner is something else.

“It is such a massive boost to your confidence! I’ve absolutely no doubt that will lead to stronger, better, and more confident work in the future.

“I am thrilled.”

Belfast-based artist Ciaran Gallagher, who has Fermanagh links, was the recipient of the Silver Medal Prize, sponsored by Tom Caldwell Installations, for his painting, ‘Mateusz’.

He said: “I’m really delighted to have my work shown in the RUA this year. It’s such a great platform for artists, and every year I look forward to seeing all the work on display. Like most of the artists I know, self doubt can be an issue for me, so it’s lovely to get a bit of recognition from my peers with this Silver Medal award sponsored by Tom Caldwell Installations,” said Ciaran.

Describing this year’s exhibition as “stunning”, newly elected RUA President Daniel Dowling said: “This year, the standard of submissions was excellent and wide-ranging, which made the democratic selection process all the more challenging.

“The result is a stunning exhibition of artworks from all disciplines.”

The exhibition will run until January 9 next at the Ulster Museum, and can also be viewed online in a new virtual experience created by Paul Marshall. To view the exhibition work, and for further information, see www.royalulsteracademy.org.