Clare McCormack and Lisa Wright win Threadneedle Prize 2013

The Threadneedle Prize 2013: Joint Prizewinners
Clare McCormack and Lisa Wright

The women do it again in relation to winning the Threadneedle Prize 2013.

Plus several "firsts" this evening at the Awards Dinner for the Threadneedle Prize 2013 for painting and sculpture.

1. The first Joint Prize
2. The first time two women won first prize - although there's plenty of precedent for women winning it on their own
3. The first "First Impressions" Award

My prediction was 50% correct - however it was interesting that I thought there were two strong contenders - and in the end there were two joint winners.

The Threadneedle Prize 2013

The Threadneedle Prize of £30,000 was awarded to two women - Clare McCormack and Lisa Wright who will each receive £15,000.

Lisa Wright and Clare McCormack being interviewed by Victoria Coren Mitchell

Joint Winner of the Threadneedle Prize 2013
Clare MCormack with Dead Labour / Dead Labourer
Saffolding Plank Wooblock 185cm x 100cm
Woodblock £2,500 Woodcut Print £720 (Edition of 6)

Dead Labour/Dead Labourer is a large-scale woodcut portrait of the artist’s grandfather, who died of Asbestosis after a life working on building sites. It is cut from four used scaffolding planks, the rough, functional materials mirroring the subject.

Joint Winner of the Threadneedle Prize 2013
Lisa Wright with 'The Guilty's Gaze on the Innocent'
Oil on Canvas 100 x 100cm
£9,400 (sold)

The Guilty’s Gaze on the Innocent explores the embarrassment, confusion and awkwardness of adolescence and makes reference to 16th century portrait painting, likely to have been influenced by her two year residency with the Royal Shakespeare Company.

The First Impressions Award

This is a new award and was given to the artist whose work had most impressed those attending the dinner this evening.  It's a good way of reminding the selectors that the rest of us also have our favourites! ;)

The winner of the First Impressions Award for 2013 (£500) is Plague Season by Nicola Bealing

Plague Season by Nicola Bayley

The exhibition opens to the public tomorrow 25 Septenber at the Mall Galleries and continues until 18 October.

All visitors to the exhibition have a chance to cast their vote for the winner of the £10,000 Visitors' Choice Award.

More about the Threadneedle Prize 2013

• One month left to enter £30000 Threadneedle Prize 03 Jun 2013 Overview of the Call for Entries for the £30000 Threadneedle Prize (2013) for Figurative and Representational Art - deadline 4 July 2013.
• Threadneedle Prize 2013 - Selected Artists 08 Aug 2013 List of the artists (+ websites) selected to show their paintings and sculpture in the Threadneedle Prize 2013 Exhibition at the Mall Galleries.
• Threadneedle Prize 2013 - Shortlist announced - a review of the artists and their works shortlisted for the Threadneedle Prize