1 December 2011

Dundee Degree Show named Best Educational Event

The Dundee Degree Show 2011 has received a major events industry prize in recognition of the exhibition's success.

The Degree Show, Dundee’s largest annual art exhibition which attracts around 10,000 visitors each year, was named Best Educational Event at last night’s UK Event Awards ceremony at Wembley Stadium.

The week-long exhibition shows off the final-year projects of students at Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design (DJCAD), part of the University of Dundee. Around 300 of the UK's most talented young artists and designers exhibited at the Degree Show, which also saw a special Associates Night attended by gallery owners, private collectors and other industry professionals, take place.

Susan Philipsz, winner of the 2010 Turner Prize and a DJCAD graduate, and Pixar founder Alvy Ray Smith were among the VIP guests at this year’s Degree Show, which was hailed as a 'vintage year' by Professor Tom Inns, Dean of DJCAD.

Representatives of DJCAD travelled to Wembley for the ceremony, which was attended by over 300 event professionals from all over the UK. The award recognised all aspects of the Degree Show, including marketing, organisation and delivery.

Professor Inns paid tribute to all students and staff who helped make the exhibition a success, saying, 'I am delighted that DJCAD has won this award. To do this, the quality of the Degree Show had to be outstanding, so this is great recognition for the work of everyone involved.

'The quality of the work exhibited by students stands against any display by graduating students in the UK, while the hard work of so many academic and support staff helped give them the perfect showcase for their talents. Well done to all who helped make this possible.'

The Dundee Degree Show takes place throughout the two buildings and fourteen floors that comprise DJCAD, with every spare space exhibiting art and design. It beat off competition from Aberdeen Asset Management Universities Boat Race, RCGP Annual Primary Care Conference, and York Conferences to win the Best Educational Event award.

This year's Degree Show was also nominated for a Best Marketing Strategy prize in the Scottish Event Awards. DJCAD’s innovative marketing strategy utilised social media to allow final year students to help design the promotional material for their own Degree Show. The artwork was created by illustrator Johanna Basford, herself a DJCAD graduate, using 'crowd sourced' images.

For media enquiries contact:
Grant Hill
Press Officer
University of Dundee
Nethergate, Dundee, DD1 4HN
TEL: 01382 384768
E-MAIL: g.hill@dundee.ac.uk
MOBILE: 07854 953277