CARDIFF.- Safle announced the launch of the first annual Safle Graduate Award. Ten art colleges throughout Wales were asked to nominate up to three visual art BA students who are due to graduate in 2009 to initiate, research, develop and implement a temporary site-specific artwork in the public realm within Wales with guidance and support from Safle.

The £10,000 Award will be a rare boost to the early career of the appointed artist and aims to offer an opportunity to progress personal creative practice through collaboration and an inter-disciplinary exchange within a professional context. It is hoped that the project will provide additional incentive to stay and work in Wales post graduation and enable the development of relationships with other arts professionals and creative institutions.

Each year Safle will invite a guest to sit on the selection panel. For this first award Tristan Hessing, Director of Moot Gallery and a member of the Stand Assembly Studios in Nottingham was asked to take on this role.

Following an intense but interesting selection day six artists have been short-listed:

Andrew Agace and Isobel Crawford from Coleg Menai, Sharon Crew from Glyndwr University, Matthew Britton from the University of Glamorgan, Alistair Owen from UWIC and Erin Rickard from Swansea Metropolitan University.

The winner will be announced on Monday 9 February 2009 at www.safle.com and in March issue of a-n magazine. The project will begin in the Summer after they graduate.