EDEN Arts and Rheged have announced the inaugural Cumbrian Artist of the Year Exhibition will be chaired by Penrith and the Borders MP Rory Stewart.

The exhibition, which will run at Rheged from April 25 until July 5, is a development of the award-winning and innovative C-Art programme pioneered by Eden Arts since 2011.

Rory said that the new Cumbrian Artist of the Year was an exciting new development which he was very proud to support.

He added: "Eden Arts already do a wonderful job raising awareness of the rich well of creativity which exists in this part of Cumbria. To be asked to co-judge this year's entrants is a true honour, and I shall do my best to carry out my duties to the very best of my ability. Please do think about entering the competition this year: your art might be shortlisted and be displayed at Rheged for several weeks in the summer months."

For the exhibition, an expert panel chaired by Rory will shortlist from digital submissions and then physically view the work before selecting the exhibition and the overall winner and recipient of the £2,000 prize fund. The competition aims to set a high standard and celebrate the wealth of creative talent in Cumbria.

Director of Eden Arts, Adrian Lochhead, added that the exhibition was a fantastic opportunity to engage with the broad range of artistic talent in Cumbria, showcasing the very best and to establish a title that will have value for an artist in promoting their career.

"Cumbria has a wealth of creative talent and the C-Art programme has proved to be extremely popular among visitors and Cumbrians alike," continued Adrian. "Last year we saw 32,000 visitors to the open studio event and in the previous year 9,000 people visited the Rheged exhibition.

Entries should be made via www.c-art.org.uk. A fee of £25 will be charged - which will go towards the prize fund - to artists who are not members of C-Art (entry is free to C-Art members).

Co-ordinated by Eden Arts, C-Art promotes and celebrates Cumbria’s rich creative talent, inviting visitors to step into the gallery and the landscape to buy art, explore the landscape and to meet the artists themselves.

Meanwhile, Eden Arts is taking applications from artists and galleries for this year’s open studio trail or to become a member of C-Art.

Artists can apply online by visiting c-art.org.uk/artist-opportunities.