Visit the We, the People: 30 Years of Democracy in South Africa exhibition at Norval Foundation, express your creativity within the theme: TO BELONG, and you could win an extra mural bursary sponsored by the Peter Clarke Art Centre.

The Norval Student Art Prize (NSAP) 2025 provides learners with a platform to express their perspectives on the exhibition: We, the People: 30 years of Democracy in South Africa. Through their artworks, they can share their experiences, insights, and reflections with the public while being recognised with meaningful rewards.

This initiative aims to educate learners from diverse backgrounds about South Africa’s history and the significance of living in a democratic society where their voices and rights matter.

Beyond fostering artistic expression, the NSAP helps expand awareness of Norval Foundation, reaching new audiences, including schools and communities that may not yet be familiar with us. We also hope this program encourages school visits to the museum, offering learners inspiration for their submissions and increasing educational visits early in the year.

Winning artworks will be showcased in an exhibition at Norval Foundation, which opens on 16 June 2025. This provides a unique opportunity for student art to be featured in a prominent museum setting, reinforcing the value of young voices in the cultural landscape.

IMPORTANT DATES

Applications open: 17 March 2025

Applications close: 12 May 2025

Exhibition opening: 16 June 2025 (Youth Day)

Exhibition closing: 22 February 2026

CRITERIA AND JUDGING

There will be a designated panel of judges’ who will be judging each artwork using a point system according to a set of criteria. The Criteria used to judge the artworks include:

1. Relevance to the theme
2. Concept or story
3. Emotionally evocative
4. Use of technique and/or art materials
5. Originality/creative thinking

CATEGORIES

There are grade categories for judging purposes to ensure that learners of all ages can enter the NSAP and be judged fairly for their work.

1. Foundation Phase: Grades 1-3 (7 – 9yrs)
2. Intermediate Phase: Grades 4-6 (10-12yrs)
3. Senior Phase: Grades 7-9 (13 – 15 yrs)
4. FET Phase: Grades 10-12 (16-18 yrs)

SUBMISSIONS

• The application requirements/restrictions ensure that all applicants submit an A4 or A3 sized 2-dimensional artwork. This includes but is not limited to drawing, painting, textural works, mixed media, pastel, etc.
• The artwork only needs to be able to fit inside an A4 or A3 frame for the purpose of the exhibition.
• The artworks may also include an audio-visual element which makes the NSAP inclusive for all learners who are differently abled.
• Accompanying the artwork should be a short story, written or recorded, by the learner who created the artwork.  This will be displayed alongside the artwork in the exhibition and will provide the judges and viewers context
• To be eligible to enter the Norval Students’ Art Prize, the applicant must be of school-going age (grade 1-12 or ages 7-18 years old).  If the applicant is under 18 years old at the moment of submission, they will require legal representation by a parent or legal guardian.
• All students are required to submit the application form when submitting the work.

PRIZES

• There will be a 1st, 2nd, and 3rd prize winner for each category; this includes Foundation Phase: Grades 1-3, Intermediate Phase: Grades 4-6, Senior Phase: Grades 7-9, FET Phase: Grades 10-12.
• 1st place winners’ in each category will receive Extra Mural Art Lessons at Peter Clarke Art Centre for six months.
• An additional wild card prize will be awarded, which includes a Grade 10 FET Design/Visual Art bursary for 2026 at Peter Clarke Art Centre.
• 2nd and 3rd winners’ place in each category will receive an art ARTSAUCE pack and a Norval Foundation publication of choice.

This exhibition, curated by Liese van der Watt for Norval Foundation, offers a nuanced perspective on the country’s democratic journey, framing it not as a static given but an ongoing process. The exhibition utilises “countervisuality,” a concept developed by visual theorist Nicholas Mirzoeff, to disrupt dominant narratives and create space for marginalised perspectives.

Structured around four interconnected themes, the exhibition chooses artworks that delve into the complexities of South African society. “To Belong” confronts the enduring impact of colonial and apartheid land dispossession on notions of belonging. “To Protest” examines the role of social movements in pushing for greater equality while acknowledging the complexities of protest violence. “To Care” explores environmental issues through the lens of Anne Tsing’s “collaborative survival,” highlighting the intersection of environmental and social justice. Finally, “To Be Heard” challenges the simplistic “Rainbow Nation” narrative, advocating for “world-making” as a more accurate framework for understanding the diversity of South Africa’s society and how to negotiate this.

By bringing together these themes, and a wide variety of artists working after 1994,  the exhibition suggests that South Africa’s democratic project requires more than political rights – it demands economic justice, environmental sustainability, and the ability for all voices to be heard. Through this lens, democracy becomes a collective creative endeavor, requiring active participation in shaping a more equitable and inclusive society. The exhibition thus serves not merely as a commemoration of 30 years of democracy but as an invitation to actively participate in the continuing work of democratic transformation. It suggests that true democracy requires us to really find one another and be open to each other to engage in the difficult but necessary work of building a shared future.

The artworks in this exhibition have been chosen for the ways in which they actively engage our democracy and include contributions by Igshaan Adams,  Dineo Seshee Bopape, Candice Breitz, Wim Botha, Bronwyn Katz, Sabelo Mlangeni, Walter Meyer, Gugulective, the Keiskamma Art Project, and many others.

We, the People: 30 Years of Democracy in South Africa is curated by Liese van der Watt and supported by Carmen Joubert. The exhibition runs from 6 December 2024 until 22 November 2025.

View Press Room and Installation Images, here.

View Exhibition booklet, here.