2021 Golden Fleece Award
Bassam Al-Sabah
Bassam Al-Sabah’s multimedia works reference feelings of displacement, nostalgia, war and 1980s Arabic-dubbed Japanese animé.
The mission of the Golden Fleece Award is to provide resources for practising contemporary visual artists and makers to innovate and develop their artistic vision, in accordance with Lillias’ intentions as set out in her Letter of Wishes to her Trustees:
It has always been my wish that those with talent be encouraged to develop their talents, particularly in Ireland … I am very conscious of the fact that many artists cannot develop their talents because their art does not bring in a steady income for them and yet they need to support themselves financially … My wish is to give artists a 'boost' in times of particular need … I have set up this trust [for] artists in need who are interested in pursuing their careers as artists.
A call for applications is usually announced each August and remains open until November. The open call for the 2023 Golden Fleece Award closed on Friday 25 November 2022.
Applications received are assessed by a specialist Advisory Panel and the Golden Fleece Board of Trustees which, according to Lillias’ wishes, includes members of the Mitchell family, professional fund managers and arts experts. From these a shortlist is selected and announced in February the following year, with the Award ceremony following in March.
The Golden Fleece Award normally consists of one or more major Awards, to which may be added smaller Merit or Special Awards. The prize fund fluctuates from year to year but generally amounts to at least €20,000 overall. How the fund is divided among recipients and distributed in any given year is at the Trustees' discretion. In recent years, Awards of €15,000, €12,000, €10,000, €5,000, €4,000 and €3,000 have been made.
The 2023 prize fund was worth €35,000. One Golden Fleece Award of €15,000 was made to Richard Malone, and two Special Awards, each worth €10,000, granted to Cathy Burke and Alan Meredith.
