First National Eisteddfod 2025 winners announced as festival gets underway in Wrexham
In recent weeks Eisteddfod staff and contractors have transformed farmland at Is-y-Coed on the eastern outskirts of Wrexham, into a small town with a 1,500 seat pavilion, a range of performance spaces and stalls as well as a temporary Gorsedd circle.
And the first winners have been announced after the cream of Welsh art talent submitted a range of artistic works to impress the selectors.
The first winners are:
The Dewi Bowen New Artist Scholarship will be awarded to Barnaby Prendergast, from Bethesda near Bangor, who submitted three pieces of artwork. Awarded in memory of Dewi Bowen by his niece, Elizabeth, the scholarship is given to an individual who has been studying or working as an artist for less than five years.
The Gold Medal for Fine Art is being presented to Gareth Griffith in a special ceremony on the Eisteddfod Maes The artist, who lives in Mynydd Llandygai near Bangor, said he was delighted to win the award, "I've exhibited my work at Y Lle Celf at the National Eisteddfod several times since the 1970s, but this is the first time I've won this award. I'm very happy to receive it – it's quite an honour for an artist to be recognised in this way," said Gareth who presented five items for consideration.
Architects behind a project to transform a church into a community arts centre have been awarded the Gold Medal for Architecture. St Mary's Church in the centre of Bangor has been converted into a flexible arts and performance space for Frân Wen, a professional theatre company that provides activities specifically for young people. It has been designed by the London-based architecture firm Manalo & White and led by architect Takuya Oura.
Intricate and colourful glass models of bird skulls have won the Gold Medal for Craft and Design for an artist from Denbighshire at the National Eisteddfod. Verity Pulford from Eryrys near Ruthin received the medal in a special ceremony. She submitted two pieces of work for the selectors to consider for the Eisteddfod's extensive art exhibition, Y Lle Celf.
Selectors said they were collectively impressed by the overall quality and depth of the submissions across all categories.
For more information about the festival, visit: https://eisteddfod.cymru
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