Wonderfully Surreal Competition

Starting in 2023 the Wonderfully Surreal competition has taken place in alternating years with the Farley Arts Trust Awards & Exhibition. This offers another opportunity for students taking arts subjects at GCSE, A level or Level 3 Creative and Applied Pathways to take part in a project which extends their experience of the visual arts beyond the school.

For the Wonderfully Surreal competition we invite students to create an art work in any media inspired by the life and work of Roland Penrose and Lee Miller.  Each time we propose a different theme and in 2025 this was 'Strange but Familiar'.

The students take a photograph of their work and submit this plus a short statement.  15 winners are selected and the students photographs of these works are enlarged, mounted and framed by the Trust.  A fully illustrated catalogue is also produced and copies given to students and visitors to the exhibition.

Exhibitions of the art works by winners of the two past Wonderfully Surreal competitions have previously been held at The Depot gallery in Lewes and the Atrium gallery at the Marine Workshops in Newhaven. 

In addition for the first two Wonderfully Surreal competitions we have organised artist-led workshops for the 15 winners and separately for teachers at participating schools.  The next Wonderfully Surreal competition will be in 2027 and details will be posted early in the year on this website.  We wish to make our projects as accessible as possible and currently there is no charge made for taking part in Wonderfully Surreal. 

Application Process and Judging

• Following submission through our online application form, a panel of judges including Lee Miller’s son, Antony Penrose, and other Trustees will consider the submissions. 
• Pupils’ own photographs of their work must be submitted as high-resolution photographs.  See guidance information here for further information.
• The original work can be in any medium including painting, drawing, print-making, photography, digital or sculpture.  All artworks and photographs must be the pupils’ own work and authenticated and submitted by their teacher. No work created in AI will be considered. 
• Only one work may be submitted per pupil and up to 20 entries per school.
• Application is free for the Wonderfully Surreal Awards.
• 15 winning entries will be selected on imagination, originality, skill and how well each piece responds to the brief. 
• The Trust will then make large-scale, framed photographs of the winning entries which will be exhibited alongside selected original work at a Sussex based art gallery or arts centre.

For further information or guidance on entering the Wonderfully Surreal competition please email enquiries@farleyartstrust.co.uk 

Student photography workshop at University of Brighton with Elizabeth Doak