The winners were announced by Alistair Hicks, Deutsche Bank’s Senior Art Curator at an exclusive reception at the Saatchi Gallery in London on 3 March, 2016.
    
The panel of judges this year includes Alistair Hicks, Senior Curator for Deutsche Bank; Nigel Hurst, CEO of the Saatchi Gallery; Jeremy Newton, CEO of Children & the Arts; Alastair Sooke, Art Critic and Broadcaster, The Telegraph and BBC and Julia Wachtel, Artist whose work is currently on display at the Saatchi Gallery as part of the exhibition Champagne Life.
  
Artist and Judge Julia Wachtel said: "I am very impressed with the level of focus, commitment and integrity of these young artists. Whether addressing the social and environmental crises of our time, or exploring a more personal and interior space, these artists have demonstrated a maturity beyond their years. They have produced beautiful and compelling artworks. Congratulations to all."
 
The support of Deutsche Bank has enabled the Saatchi Gallery to offer tailored artist-led workshops to pupils from schools where the need is greatest. The workshops increase pupils' understanding of fine art processes and provide the opportunity to work with specialist art materials, helping pupils to explore and realise their creative potential. This year, artist-led Continued Professional Development (CPD) workshops were introduced for art teachers from these schools. The workshops aim to support art teachers who are working with limited resources by providing space, time, solutions and ideas to approaching art making, and ultimately serve to open up the Schools Prize to students from all educational backgrounds.
 
Jeremy Newton commented, "I was absolutely amazed by the ambition of the artists and the thought provoking nature of their works. Seeing how these young artists have engaged with the world around them, their creativity and sheer ingenuity gave me a thrill, a buzz and a sense of wonder. It's inspiring, and of course, incredibly pleasing to see such raw and exciting talent within our schools. Congratulations to the winners, who truly deserve their prize."
 
The Saatchi Gallery has a 30-year-long history of supporting emerging artists and bringing contemporary art to as wide an audience as possible. The Saatchi Gallery/ Deutsche Bank Art Prize for Schools aims to support and encourage budding young artists by providing them with a platform to showcase their work, and giving them the confidence to consider a career in the arts.
 
The 20 shortlisted entries are exhibited from 4 March–9March at the Saatchi Gallery, Duke of York's Sq, King's Road, London SW3 4RY. Entry to the exhibition is free.
 
 
Art Prize For Schools
The Art Prize is part of the Saatchi Gallery's education programme which is committed to introducing contemporary art to younger audiences. More than 12,000 school groups have visited the Saatchi Gallery since it opened in Chelsea in October 2008.
 
The Saatchi Gallery / Deutsche Bank Art Prize For Schools is open to primary, secondary and sixth form schools from around the world who are invited to submit art work by students up to the age of 18. Over 22,000 entries from 54 countries were submitted in 2016. Among the 20 shortlisted works were entries from Australia, Cyprus, Indonesia and the USA, as well as the UK.
 
The Saatchi Gallery was founded in 1985 to provide a platform to bringcontemporary art to as wide an audience as possible and make it accessible. Over the last five years the Saatchi Gallery has hosted 17 out of the top 20 most visited exhibitions in London, according to The Art Newspaper’s survey of international museum attendance, and is also ranked amongst the world’s top five most liked museums on Facebook and Twitter by Museum Analytics. Entry to all exhibitions at the Saatchi Gallery is free.
 
Deutsche Bank and Born to Be
Deutsche Bank provides commercial and investment banking, retail banking, transaction banking and asset and wealth management products and services to corporations, governments, institutional investors, small and medium-sized businesses, and private individuals. Deutsche Bank is Germany’s leading bank, with a strong position in Europe and a significant presence in the Americas and Asia Pacific.
  
The Bank’s global youth engagement programme, Born to Be, focuses on education and enabling talent. In 2015 over 1.3m young people were reached worldwide. In the UK, where youth unemployment affects nearly 1 million, Born to Be targets 11-18 year olds, focusing on breaking the cycle of youth unemployment through early intervention. It is based on the belief that all young people regardless of background or postcode should have the best chance in life. Born to Be projects aim to help this generation develop the aspirations, skills and access opportunities they need to fulfil their potential and equip them to join the workforce of tomorrow.
  
The Saatchi Gallery/ Deutsche Bank Art Prize For Schools is an excellent example of how the arts can support education and vital life skills, providing young people with the creativity and confidence they need to become who they were born to be.
  
To find out more about Born to Be please visit: www.db.com/uk/borntobe 

SAATCHI GALLERY
Duke Of York's HQ
King's Road
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