Art prize
Aon: Aon Community Art Award
The Aon Community Art Award was created to align with Aon’s move into its global London headquarters at The Leadenhall Building with a clear commitment to community and talent development. Partnering with Glasgow School of Art, Leeds Arts University, and Manchester School of Art, we designed a structured platform to support graduating artists as they transition from education into the commercial art world. We managed the installation of up to 200 artworks per exhibition in the iconic Leadenhall Building.
Over a 12-month programme, we provided selected artists with workshops and mentoring, while their work was exhibited in Aon’s London client suite, seen by clients, colleagues, and hundreds of visitors each day.
Each artist received a cash award for selection, with two additional prizes: a £5,000 award judged by an external panel for the most promising artist, and a £2,000 employee-choice prize. At the end of the programme, the artworks were offered for sale as part of an exciting live auction, with all proceeds returned directly to the artists, creating meaningful financial support, visibility, and career momentum.
“The Aon Community Art Award has given me a big boost in confidence having just left university. Having my work recognised is a huge honour. the programme gives me a lot of support to continue what I am doing and to know it is a journey I am on”
— Artist: Kate Waddicor, Manchester School of Art
“Being selected for this award has been such a support to me. It has such a sense of community, being able to meet new people, new creatives, to hear about their processes and ideas, especially people who have also recently graduated and are in a similar position. It is nice to have people around me to inspire me and to bounce ideas off”
— Artist: Marina Renee-Cemmick, Glasgow School of Art
“Being selected for the Aon Community Art Award has really helped me to be confident in my own work, to continue with projects, to try new things and really push them out there. I probably wouldn’t have done that before”
— Artist: Chloe Bromilow, Manchester School of Art
Featured Artists:
Rex Southwick, ‘Untitled I- VII’
Anthea Spivey, ‘Mamadou and Oumou’
Molly Hankinson, ‘Womxn I’
Amelia Baron, ‘Obsession for Perfection: Part I’
“We have worked closely with The Art Movement team on our Aon Community Art Award programme. Thanks to their creativity, experience, guidance and support, we have been able to introduce fresh new ideas each year and to enhance the support we provide to the artists we work alongside. It has proved to be a great partnership. I personally have thoroughly enjoyed learning myself about how a global professional services firm and the world of art can be combined to support artists as they move from education hopefully into a career as an artist.”
— Diversity & Community Coordinator, Aon