Editor in Chief – ACP Sporting Titles, Martin Lenehan, said: “Inside Cricket magazine is written by cricket tragics, for cricket tragics, with interviews, features, humour and in-depth analysis of our great game. Our support and sponsorship of the Cricket Art Prize and Cricket Poetry Award is a natural fit”.

“By bringing together the passion of cricket enthusiasts and the skills of talented painters and poets around the world, we look forward to seeing some impressive works of art and poetry that will celebrate and pay tribute to a global sport and national pastime.” 

For further information on Inside Cricket Magazine and its sponsorship of the Cricket Art Prize and Cricket Poetry Award please contact Derek Zilich on 0411 572 100 or Cameron Jones on 02 9288 9123.

Inside Cricket Magazine delivers expert views, news, reviews and, most importantly, unparalleled insight about the stars of the sport. Forging a closer link between the players and the fans is Inside Cricket’s main priority, with meaty features on the national and international team heroes that probe behind the headlines. Inside Cricket is written by the foremost experts in the game; Ian Chappell, Richie Benaud, Michael Hussey, Mark Taylor, Damien Fleming and Justin Langer amongst many others, providing peerless coverage and analysis.

This annual poetry competition offers AU$2000 to the winning poet with international exposure for the top twenty poems.

The organisers invite poets from test playing nations to submit a poem celebrating aspects of life in and around the game and sport of cricket, in settings of park cricket, backyard cricket, street cricket, beach cricket, social-cricket or local club cricket.

The genre may be narrative, dramatic, satirical, lyrical, elegy or verse fable.

The written & spoken word reflects the emotions, beliefs and prejudices that influence our thoughts, behaviour and personality. Poets will be asked to use a national pastime and global sport – cricket, as the vehicle to unsettle preconceptions, generate new ideas and consider our contemporary culture.

The Cricket Poetry Award will be run in conjunction with the Cricket Art Prize, and the winner will be announced at the Cricket Art Prize opening at the Members Pavilion of the SCG – 7th Oct 2010.

The judges encourage poets to write a poem commenting on life in and around the game and sport of cricket either metaphorically; using cricket as a figurative ‘vehicle’; as an analogy or an ironic simile.

The judges in 2010 are published poet Adam Gibson, Walkley Award nominee, sports & feature writer Jessica Halloran and Peter Fenton – published poet, writer and film maker.

Key Organiser, Derek Zilich said “Poetry is a carefully sculptured canvas, with the poet using words instead of paint, and the canvas is you and me. This annual poetry competition serves the interests of all test playing nations involved in art, poetry and cricket, so pick up an entry form and wax lyrical.”

This annual art prize competition offers AU$20,000 to the winning artist, AU$2000 for the Highly Commended and AU$1000 to the Peoples’ Choice with international exposure for the finalists in the travelling exhibition.

The organisers invite artists from test playing nations to submit a painting or composition that depicts life in and around the game and sport of cricket, in settings of backyard, park, beach, street, local club or social-cricket.

The work may be figurative, semi-abstract, still-life or figure-in-landscape. 

Acceptable media are: oil painting, acrylic painting, water-colour, pastels or mixed media on canvas, board or artists paper with a cubist, impressionist, tonalist, fauvist, surrealist, pop art, futurist, hard-edge, modern, naïve, orientalist, pointillist, precisionist, regionalist or romanticist style.

Paintings of famous people, cricketers or the artist (past or present) WILL NOT be accepted as they are not, by the organisers’ definition a cricket painting but a portrait, and the Cricket Art Prize is not a portrait art prize.  

The judges for 2010 are comedian and author Steve Abbott; art collector Dr. Dick Quan; art-critic John McDonald and last years winning artist – Jane Kellahan.

Derek Zilich, the key organiser commented “We expect a wider variety of entries this year due to the fact that the Cricket Art Prize has been thrown open to all test-cricket playing nations… the closing date is the 1^st of September and all artists are encouraged to get hold of an entry form and start putting some runs on the board”.

After a 4 month inter-state, national tour exhibiting in 3 venues, the Cricket Art Prize exhibition received 3220 nominations via its website.

The painting “I Made a Hundred in the Backyard at Mum’s” by David Woodford topped the poll with 362 votes representing 11% of the online-ballot.

232 artists submitted a painting for the inaugural Cricket Art Prize competition, in which 32 paintings were selected.  “White Wickets” by Jane Kellahan was the art prize winner and Adam Hill’s work “Unfair Dismissal” got the highly commended prize.

Artists were asked to depict life in and around the game and sport of cricket, in settings of backyard cricket, beach cricket, social-cricket or local club cricket.

Peoples’ Choice Award winning artist David Woodford said “I thought I was doing well to make the finals (exhibition) but to win the Peoples’ Choice is an absolute delight.  My kids and the neighbour’s kids are overjoyed at the news as they were inspiration for the painting” he added.

His work “I Made A Hundred In The Backyard At Mum’s “- portrays a semi-aerial view of the classic Australian backyard cricket scene, complete with bare-footed children, a fruit box as stumps, dogs jumping to field the ball, kids scampering and a Hills Hoist of washing slowly turning in the wind.

David Woodford’s “scumbling” technique elevates his level of creative expertise and demonstrates his technical ability and stylistic approach. Up close, his “scumbling” technique and skill of execution creates an almost 3-D effect and contributes to the painting’s success.

Exhibition dates:

Bradman Museum,

St. Jude St., Bowral, NSW 2676

15^th January to 7th February 2010

To view entire exhibition see à  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WbO-Mitl_mw  

The Cricket Art Prize 2010 Calendar is beautifully produced and each painting celebrates and pays tribute to the game.  The months may come and go but you can never tire of revisiting the pages of these perceptive and suggestive paintings.  Beautifully printed in full colour, A4/landscape/wirecomb-bound with each painting displayed atop each month-page in the calendar.

 See www.cricketartprize.org/calendar

Beneficiaries

The Cricket Art Prize fundraises for the McGrath Foundation and the Ponting Foundation and those charities receive contributions generated via any sale of these calendars before operational costs.

Only $19-95c plus postage

To order e-mail info [at] publisherscup [dot] org [dot] au

Entries will now be accepted in 2010 from any citizen who resides in a full member, registered ICC country i.e. – Australia, England & Wales, New Zealand, South Africa, West Indies, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Zimbabwe who create, write and complete their work in the 12 months leading up to the closing date - early September 2010 (tbc).

In the past the Cricket Art Prize  and Cricket Poetry Award was an Australasian arts and literary competition – in other words only artists from Australia and New Zealand could submit an entry, but due to world wide interest and international request, the organisers have decided to open this arts and poetry initiative to full member, registered ICC countries.

Key organiser Derek Zilich stated “Cricket and the arts bring people of all backgrounds, socio-economic levels and nationalities together.  We now regard the Cricket Art Prize and Cricket Poetry Award as an arts and literary initiative that cross-pollinates with a global sport and national pastime.”

247 Studios senior-partner and art-director, Daniel O’Doherty said “We are very excited to be a supporting-sponsor…  photography and cricket-art seem like an intuitive symbiosis and we look forward to developing our involvement with the current exhibition and in the future…”

247 Studios provides 24 hour commercial photography services, specifically developed to cater for advertisers and designers requiring time-sensitive, high-quality photography.  The experienced in-studio art directors and photographers at 247 Studios offer quick turn around times for quality in advertising, corporate and fashion photography.

For further information contact:

Derek Zilich, Publishers’ Cup Inc. derekz [at] publisherscup [dot] org [dot] au  0411 572 100

www.publisherscup.org.au

or

Daniel O’Doherty, 247 Studios. daniel [at] 247studios [dot] com [dot] au  0407 132 427

www.247studios.com.au

The exhibition will consist of 32 paintings and those finalists are listed thus:

• Christine Atkins – “School Cricket“ – oil on Belgium linen – 46cm x 87cm
• Fran Connell – “A Very Sticky Wicket” – oil on canvas – 100cm x 70cm
• Josette Cauchi – “Hot Sunday Afternoon” – acrylic – 100cm x 100cm
• Jane Kellahan – “White Wickets” – oil on canvass – 120cm x 120cm
• Bob Marchant – “My First Cricket Bat” – oil on board and 1940’s cricket bat – 140cm x 94cm
• Glenn Morgan – “Caught Marsh Bowled Lillee” – acrylic on plyboard – 130cm X 172cm
• Betina Fauvel-Ogden – “Waiting To Bat” – oil – 71cm x 61cm
• Annie Holcombe – “Country Cricket At The Bradman” – acrylic – 102cm x 76cm
• Rafael Butron – “The Final Over” – acrylic on canvas – 76cm x 112cm
• Grant Stevens – “Singles” – acrylic on canvas – 61cm x 107cm
• Ian Swift – “Yabbalines” – acrylic & cotton on canvas – 165cm x 216cm
• Joseph Rolella – “New Years Test” – oil on board – 114cm x 114cm
• John Skillington – “The Selector” – pigmented ink on paper – 90cm x 60cm
• Willy Sheather – “Marvellous” – acrylic on canvas -152cm x 198cm
• Joni Dennis – “Changi Cotton” – acrylic & mixed media – 183cm x 183cm
• Brendan Lakin – “Wayne Stopped Play” – oil on canvas – 122cm x 122cm
• Kirsten T. Smith – “Rooftop Cricket” – oil on canvas – 92cm x 92cm
• Adam Hill – “Unfair Dismissal” – synthetic polymer on canvas – 150cm x 250cm
• James P Gilmour – “When The Wicket Fell” – wax on Belgiam linen (encaustic) – 120cm x 90cm
• Ryan Wilson – “The Crusaders At Strath Creek” – acrylic on canvas – 122cm x 91cm
• Dianne Fogwell – “I Remember That Today” – oil on gesso board – 120cm x 150cm
• Alan Young – “Fun At The BCG (Backyard Cricket Ground)” – acrylic – 61cm x 61cm
• Darren Mitchelson – “Bodyline – Jardine’s Revenge (An Illustration Of Leg Theory)” – oil on canvas – 122cm x 152cm
• Gillian Lodge – “Dog-Watch” – oil on canvas – 91cm x 152
• David Woodford – “I Made A Hundred In The Backyard At Mum’s” – oil on m.d.f. – 70cm x 70cm
• Lizzy Newcomb – “Saturday Cricket” – acrylic on canvas – 92cm x 92cm
• Merryn Trevethan – “The Collapse” – acrylic on canvas – 137cm x 167cm
• Andrew Ireland – “Southerley Buster” – oil on canvas – 150cm x 200cm
• Eli Turier – “It’s Too Hot To Hit A Six” – mixed media on board (wire) – 23cm x 88cm
• Lewis W. Miller – “The Obscure Art Of Cricket” – oil on Belgian linen – 122cm x 102cm
• Eris Fleming – “Tense Final Overs On A Crumbling Pitch” – oil on canvas – 107cm x 122cm
• Catherine Stringer – “Matt’s Catch – Beach Cricket Lake Rhona” – oil on canvas – 92cm X 122cm

We’d also like to thank the judges – John McDonald, Anneke van der Pal, John Windus and Stuart MacGill for their time, energy and patience yesterday on what was a very challenging day when deliberating all entries and having to make some very hard decisions.

The Winner and the Highly Commended will be announced on Thursday 8^th Oct at the opening.

The ‘Live Readings’ night will consist of 20 poems and those finalists are listed below in no particular order:

• “The Siblings” by Maree Peterson
• “The Last Test” by John Gordon
• “The Catch” by Andy Kissane
• “Fantasy for White” by Rachael Treasure
• “Dream Catcher” by Kane Murphy
• “Mind Games” by Megan Jordan
• “Junior Tragics” by Jo Burnell
• “Different Strokes” by Brian Sam Hallewell
• “Ashes To Ashes (a cricket emergency)” by Joan Ross
• “A Rich, Rewarding Innings” by David Campbell
• “Camphor Laurel” by Maggie Shapley
• “Listening to the ABC” by Ian Billows
• “No Rockets” by Lydia Burke
• “Social Cricket, the Universe, and Everything” by Graeme Philipson
• “D.I.Y.” by Penelope Cottier
• “The Beautiful Game” by Louise McKenna
• “Cradle to the Grave – a Five Test Series” by Tim Slade
• “Cricket At Seaforth” by Kassandra Ellison
• “Back Then” by Jenny Collins
• “For Six” by Ron Moss

The organisers would also like to thank the judges – Adam Gibson and Jessica Halloran for their time, energy and patience on what was a very challenging weekend when reading and re-reading all poems and having to make some very hard decisions.

The top 20 poems will be read ‘live’ this Thursday by 4 actors / orators:

• Hamish Briggs
• Nicole Campbell
• Luke Carson
• Robert Edwards

These young actors will randomly select 4 poems each, contact the particular poet, rehearse the reading and prepare to ‘read & perform’ the poem in the best possible way at:

The Rugby Club,

Rugby Place

off 31 Pitt St Sydney

6:00pm – Thursday 1^st Oct (this Thursday)

Based on the reading and crowd response, the winning poem will be announced the following week on Thursday 8th Oct at the Cricket Art Prize opening and re-read to the exhibition Members Pavilion guests.