AKUREYRI, NORTHERN ICELAND.-The creation of the Icelandic Visual Arts Awards, to be held annually in Akureyri but covering visual art around Iceland as well as architecture and design was recently annouced. There are already awards for theatre, film and music – all presented at gala events broadcast on television – but until now there have been no corresponding events for the visual arts. By instituting this award in Akureyri, the town bolsters its image as a city focusing on art, culture and education. The young but flourishing University of Akureyri will also be involved as a large conference on the visual arts is planned to coincide with the awards ceremonies.

The awards are the brainchild of Hannes Sigurðsson, the energetic director of the Akureyri Art Museum. Under his leadership the museum has gained a high profile with exhibitions that often seem impossibly ambitious for a town of only some 15 000 inhabitants but have without question put Akureyri on the map as an exhibition venue and as a counterbalance to the overarching influence of Reykjavik with its many museums and galleries.

The first awards will be presented in the autumn of 2006 and Akureyri has already secured government support from both the Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Industry – both ministers were present at the press conference – as well as from state radio and television, RUV.