Museum launches animal-themed art competition

Last year's competition saw artists create work representing people

Aspiring artists have been invited to take part in a museum's annual competition.

In its third year, the theme for Oxfordshire Museum's 2025 open art competition is animals.

A young artist's award has also been launched for the first time, with Oxfordshire residents aged 11 to 18 eligible to enter.

The competition is free to enter and will culminate in an exhibition displaying the shortlisted entries and winners, which will be open to the public at the museum from 27 September until 2 November.

Neil Fawcett, Oxfordshire County Council's community and corporate services chief, said the competition was an "opportunity for everybody and anybody to share their talents".

"We know that Oxfordshire is full of creativity and we want to show it off," he said.

On this year's theme, Mr Fawcett said he hoped it would "provide inspiration for a range of responses" and "produce another moving and enjoyable exhibition showcasing our residents' talents".

"Animals are all around us in Oxfordshire, at home, at work and in the wild, and the face of our animal companions is ever-changing," he added.

The museum, based in Woodstock, said it was "particularly keen to encourage three dimensional entries", including sculptures, to this years competition.

An online portal where artists can submit their work was opened on 1 February.

The museum said a panel of "special guest judges" would allocate prizes, with the winners announced at a special preview party later in the year, ahead of the public exhibition.