A brand new £10,000 Art Prize launches this week offering artistic talent from around the world the chance to fund new work, forge a professional career in the industry and show their work at a public exhibition in Central London. Launched by online art platform Rise Art, known for its dedication to discovering, curating and promoting the next generation of art stars, the Rise Art Prize is a global competition seeking to unearth the most exciting contemporary artists, offering them the chance to shine on a global stage and receive a career-defining prize. Artists both new on the scene or regulars in the gallery arena are invited to submit their work for the chance to win the cash prize, as well as business mentorship and financial advice from some of the art world’s most respected individuals. Award-winning Young British Artist Gavin Turk joins twice Turner Prize nominated Richard Wilson and Sarah Martin of the Turner Contemporary on the judging panel for the Prize’s debut year on the hunt for creative excellence, original ideas and technical skill. They sit alongside over 30 other independent industry heavyweights offering a much-needed springboard to artists looking to make the leap from newcomer to established figure, when public arts funding is at its lowest. Spanning five regions of the globe including the UK, Europe, Africa & the Middle East, the Americas and Asia, the winner of Rise Art’s Global Artist of The Year Award will also feature in a short promotional biopic and will have their work brought to a global audience via the Rise Art website. Other accolades up for grabs include UK Artist of the Year and UK Young Artist of the Year, plus individual category winners for different mediums including Street Art, Painting, Drawing, Screen Printing, Photography and Sculpture. Finalists from each region will have their work displayed in a central London exhibition in February 2018, which will follow an exclusive Winner’s Ceremony where each category winner will be announced. Gavin Turk comments: “I know how difficult it can be to make a career in the art world - it’s a highly competitive industry, with constant cuts to arts funding. The Rise Art Prize is a much needed platform for raising the profile of artists and art within the media.” Turk continues: “What we’re really looking for are artists with an ability to convey in whatever medium, their ideas to a maximum impact. This is a great opportunity for any emerging or mid-career artist and I’m pleased to support the project and be part of the jury panel.” Art heavyweights including Night Art curator Fatos Ustek, British artist Bruce McLean, director of Art Toronto Susanna Rosenstock and Founding Director of 1:54 Contemporary African Art Fair Touria El Glaoui will also join the regional and global judging panels. Fatos Ustek, Night Art Curator added: "I am delighted take part in the judging panel for the Rise Art Prize 2018. I find it crucial to support young artists and their production in the start of their careers and I am curious to explore what today's emerging artists have to say." Entries to the Rise Art Prize open on Monday 16th October 2017 and close at midnight on Sunday 12th November 2017. Entries can be submitted at www.riseartprize.com and will require high quality images, descriptions and artist biographies. Regional shortlists will be announced on the 29th of November 2017, with winners announced in early 2018. Speaking on the launch of the Rise Art Prize, founder of Rise Art, Scott Phillips comments: “At a time when art is easier to access than ever, there still seems to be somewhat of a ‘canvas ceiling’ to the professional art world for many artists, even those who have been working in the industry for many years. “We’ve been working on the Rise Art Prize for the past year, and really wanted to be able to give the most exciting up-and-coming talent a launch pad to help catapult their careers, and to try and help them overcome government funding cuts. We’re really passionate about discovering and promoting extraordinary art and artists globally and we feel like the Rise Art Prize is a great way to do that.” Rise Art is an online art platform leading the art tech revolution to help democratise the art world and bring great art to everyone. A team of curators hunt out exceptional artists from around the world working in every medium and budget, and have a range of services to help get people discovering, owning and loving art. As part of this they also offer art rentals, so customers can road-test artworks at home or in the office before committing to buying them. For more information and to enter visit www.riseartprize.com