Printworks Manchester is inviting the UK’s most creative art students to enter a unique nationwide competition – offering a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to have their work transformed into a dazzling, immersive public art installation on Europe’s largest digital ceiling.
Fresh from a £27m transformation last year, the iconic Manchester destination is opening its award-winning digital ceiling – a 1,000m² wraparound LED canvas that spans the full length of the venue – to one winning student. This isn’t just a screen; it’s an artistic stage viewed by millions of visitors every year, with the power to turn a single artwork into a 360-degree sensory experience.
Past installations have included Spaces Up-Above exhibition by world-renowned light artist, Rupert Newman and an International Women’s Day showcase by Manchester-based creative Laura Heitzman – now a guest judge for the competition.
Laura Heitzman said: “I’m absolutely thrilled to be a judge for the Manchester Printworks Student Art Competition. Supporting emerging talent and seeing fresh, creative perspectives is always inspiring and I can’t wait to see what these young artists bring to the table! It was so surreal seeing my artwork on the digital ceiling for Printworks’ International Women’s Day campaign and I’m excited for another artist to get the chance to see theirs on there too!”
Entries open today and close at midnight on Sunday 3rd August. The competition is open to students currently enrolled in college, university or art school across the UK.
Printworks will transform the winning artwork and reimagine it into an animated masterpiece – synchronised with sound and motion and displayed in epic scale above the venue’s thousands of daily visitors.
Kristian Brennan, Marketing Manager at Printworks, said: “This is one of the most exciting creative opportunities available to students anywhere in the UK right now. We’re offering the chance to turn a static piece of art into a cinematic experience on Europe’s largest digital ceiling – a space that has already hosted world-class artists. We want to uncover new talent and give students an incredible launchpad for their future careers.”
