First Minister launches annual award and competition to design winner’s medal

First Minister Alex Salmond today announced an annual award to be presented under the auspices of Scotland’s marine energy Saltire Prize, to recognise outstanding contributions to the development of wave and tidal power.

The Saltire Prize, which has attracted more than 150 registrations of interest from 31 countries and already two confirmed applicants, will see £10 million awarded to the team that can demonstrate in Scottish waters, a commercially-viable wave or tidal stream energy technology that achieves the greatest volume of electrical output over the set minimum hurdle of 100GWh over a continuous two-year period using only sea power.

Today the First Minister announced an annual Saltire Prize Green Energy Award as well as a £1,000 competition – sponsored by industry body Scottish Renewables and open to art students across Scotland – to design the Award medal.  The inaugural Award will be presented at Scottish Renewables’ annual conference in March 2011.

Please see the Scottish Government website for full release
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/News/Releases/2010/12/03162146

The Medal design competition is open to undergraduate students in further education colleges and universities across Scotland studying in the areas of silversmithing and jewellery, three dimensional design and other craft-based design and fine art programmes.

Entry is free. Entry packs and full details of terms and conditions can be obtained by emailing saltireprizemedal@scottishrenewables.com

The design competition is now open and will accept entries until 1 February 2011. The successful design will receive a cash prize of £1,000.

A judging panel will determine the winning design on 8 February.

The judging panel is: (chair) Seona Reid, Director of Glasgow School of Art; Alasdair Gray, writer & artist; Professor Anne Glover, Chief Scientific Adviser for Scotland; Barclay Price, Director, Arts and Business Scotland; Caroline Parkinson, Director, Creative Scotland; Moira Jeffrey, art critic; Niall Stuart, Chief Executive, Scottish Renewables; Rachel Henderson artist and writer; Leah Black, Independent Jewellery Expert and Neil Kermode, Managing Director, European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC)

For further information about the Saltire Prize Medal competition visit: www.scottishrenewables.com

For further information about the main £10 million Saltire Prize for marine energy innovation visit: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/saltireprize

Contacts:
Russell Fallis (Scottish Government) on 0131 244 3054, 07920 595435,  russell.fallis@scotland.gsi.gov.uk

Rachelle Money (Scottish Renewables) on 0141 353 4983, Rachelle@scottishrenewables.com