A SOLO exhibition at Huddersfield Art Gallery and free use of the print facilities at West Yorkshire Print Workshop in Mirfield are on offer in a new competition.

Three years ago, the Print Workshop established the Flourish Award to celebrate and promote excellence in printmaking from its members.

Now the organisers have decided to build on that success and enlarge the award to include non-members’ work across the region.

“This is an exciting development and allows WYPW to champion and showcase the best printmaking from practitioners across Yorkshire,” said one of the organisers.

“It will give Yorkshire artists and printmakers the opportunity to exhibit their work at the WYPW Gallery and to plan their own solo print exhibition at Huddersfield Art Gallery in 2013.”

Artists and Printmakers can submit up to three printed works for the Flourish Award exhibition to be held at WYPW in October. There will be an entry fee of £20 for non-WYPW members.

Past winners include Emma Lawrenson and Julia Clegg, both printmakers with Huddersfield connections.

Emma’s abstract screen prints are renowned for their great use of colour and bold shapes.

She said: “The best starting point for a piece of work is something observed by chance. I love catching the essence of things as they appear momentarily.”

Emma prepares her work in her home studio near Holmfirth and makes most of her prints at WYPW.

Julia Clegg lives and works in Huddersfield as is a member of West Yorkshire Print Workshop and the Inkers Printmaking Group.

Julia’s work is inspired by local places in and around Huddersfield. She says her images are ‘centred in the real world’ but are not simply representations of it.”

To compete, register online until August 17. Visit www.wypw.org to submit work.