Choose your artwork
Remember, you can only write about artworks that feature on Art UK's website for this competition. Browse paintings, sculptures, prints – and more – on the Discover Artworks page.
- Put your postcode or town into the 'Location' filter on the Discover Artworks page to find artworks in museums and galleries near you.
- On the Discover Artworks page, use the 'Topic' filter to explore artworks by theme, such as 'Animals and plants', 'Ideas and emotions' or 'Power and politics'. You can also think of a subject that interests you and enter a keyword in the search bar – try something like 'environment', 'protest', 'technology' or 'sport'.
- Is there a particular style of art you like? Try searching for Abstract art, or Impressionism or Pop Art using the 'Style' filter. Maybe even look for a style you dislike – exploring an artwork you don't like can make for a lively piece of writing.
- Check out the Stories section on Art UK, where different artists, artworks and themes are explored. Your essay might be here too, one day!
- Still not sure? Try the artwork shuffle and see six works selected at random.
Find further inspiration and great tips in this Art UK learning resource about Write on Art.
Choose a category
Write on Art submissions are entered into one of three categories: Creative writing, Review and Essay.
Creative writing category
Creative writing is about expressing and exploring ideas imaginatively.
Choose an artwork from Art UK that inspires you to write a poem, letter, diary entry, short story or script. For example, you could write a letter from an artwork's subject to the artist; an artist's diary entry from when they were creating the artwork; or a poem that explores the details of an artwork through all of the senses.
Here are some questions to get you started:
- What story is the artwork telling you? Is this story the beginning, middle or end of an even bigger story?
- If the subject of an artwork could speak, what would they say?
- What do you think the artist was thinking and feeling when they created this artwork?
Assessment criteria
1. Description: You will be assessed on how clearly your piece of writing is inspired by your chosen artwork. Is your writing specific enough so that it is clear you have been inspired by one artwork and not another? Have you included details in your writing that demonstrate you have been looking closely at your chosen artwork?
2. Style: You will be assessed on the artistic flair and imagination you show in your writing. Have the words you have chosen, and the way you have ordered them, conveyed an idea in the most vivid way possible? Have you made stylistic choices that spark your reader's imagination too?
3. Engagement: You will be assessed on how enjoyable your writing is to read. Did you manage to keep your readers' attention and make them want to read more? Did you immerse them in your chosen artwork?
Examples
Examples of famous pieces of writing inspired by artworks are Girl with a Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier, The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt, Mourning Picture by Adrienne Rich, and Rembrandt's Late Self Portraits by Elizabeth Jennings. Artworks can be the starting point for a whole story, or the inspiration for capturing a moment in time or a character's innermost thoughts and feelings.
Read an example creative writing piece by Esme Boggis responding to Study, Eggshells by Ethel Guymer.
Review category
A review is a way of sharing your critical thoughts about an artwork or how it has been displayed. Critical thoughts can be positive or negative reflections, or a mixture of both.
This category invites you to choose an artwork from Art UK's website and do one of two things:
1. Review the artwork itself – look at the artwork in person or online and tell us what you think of it.
Here are some questions to get you started:
- Do you think the artist has achieved what they set out to do?
- How does the artwork make you feel?
- How successfully do you think the artwork explores its subject? Is there anything it has missed? Or has it brought a perspective to life in a powerful way?
2. Review how the artwork has been displayed – you will need to visit an artwork in person (it could be in a local museum, gallery or public space) and tell us what you think of how it has been presented.
Here are some questions to get you started:
- What do you think of the label, sign or pamphlet that describes the artwork?
- What do you think of how the artwork is displayed? Do you think the frame it is in, the plinth it is on, or the space it is in, showcase it well?
- What do you think of the artwork/s that your chosen artwork has been placed beside? Do the artworks your artwork has been put amongst inspire you? Or do you think they do not go together?
Assessment criteria
1. Description: You will be assessed on how much consideration you have given to your artwork. Is it clear that you have spent a lot of time looking at it, reflecting on different aspects? Have you included specific details that invite your reader to consider it too?
2. Analysis: You will be assessed on the depth to which you explore and interpret your chosen artwork and/or its presentation. Have you built on the description in your writing and formulated arguments? Have you assessed your artwork and/or its presentation from a variety of perspectives?
3. Engagement: You will be assessed on how enjoyable able your writing is to read. Did you manage to keep your readers' attention? Did you convince them of your argument?
Examples
An example of a real-world review that focuses in on a single artwork is Abike Ogunlokun's review of the National Museum Cardiff's 'Art of the Selfie' exhibition on Art UK's website. This review centres around Anya Paintsil's Blod. Notice how Abike combines her thoughts about the artwork itself and its place within the wider exhibition.
Read an example review of the River Lea Medallions by Esme Boggis.
Essay category
Essays are a non-fiction academic style of writing where you convey a particular idea or argument, supported by evidence.
Research your chosen artwork and share with your reader how this research has enhanced or maybe even changed your thoughts about it.
You could investigate:
- the historical and social context at the time the artwork was made
- the wider work and life of the artwork's creator
- interpretations other people have already written about this artwork
You could share why you think a particular artwork is of great importance, or even why you think it is overrated. Whatever your argument, make sure you use your research to back it up!
Here are some questions to get you started:
- What have other people written about your chosen artwork, and do you agree with it?
- Has anything you have discovered about the artist who made the artwork or when it was made changed your understanding of it?
- What do you think the artist's motivations were to make this artwork?
Assessment criteria
1. Research: You will be assessed on the depth to which you have researched your chosen artwork. Have you considered a variety of perspectives and resources? Have you challenged yourself to look beyond the most frequent search engine results?
2. Analysis: You will be assessed on how you have interpreted and brought together your research. Have you not only shared your research but also your perspective on it? Have you compared or connected pieces of research to form a bigger argument?
3. Engagement: You will be assessed on how enjoyable your writing is to read. Did you manage to keep your readers' attention? Did your research and argument give them a lot to think about?
Examples
An example of a real-world essay is Through the looking glass with Jean Cooke on Art UK, written by former Write on Art judge, Ruth Millington. Notice how Ruth combines her own visual analysis, research about the artist's life, and comparison with the artist's other work, to tell us why she finds this self-portrait to be so fascinating.
Previous Write on Art essays include Amelie Roscoe's piece on Pauline Bunny by Sarah Lucas and Azzurra Mitchell's piece on Kathe Kollwitz's Woman with Dead Child: these writers researched artworks from multiple perspectives and used this research to argue why they consider their chosen artworks to be so powerful.
What next?
Browse all Write on Art prize-winning entries for inspiration.
Find great tips in this Art UK learning resource about Write on Art.
Find out how to apply.
