News / 01 Apr 2025
Fine Art students celebrate success at the British Art Medal Society’s Student Medal Project
BA (Hons) Fine Art
First year BA (Hons) Fine Art student Sienna Williams has been awarded a prize in the prestigious British Art Medal Society’s Student Medal Project 2025.
The Student Medal Project was set up by the British Art Medal Society (BAMS), to promote the art of the medal in UK arts universities and colleges. As well as the annual competition, the project offers mentoring, exhibition, inclusion into a catalogue, awards after graduation, commissions, and events.
The University’s BA (Hons) Fine Art students are given the opportunity to submit their medals to the competition each year and have won prizes in 2020 and 2021, 2023 and 2024, including the annual project award in 2024 which commended the course for the overall high standard of the medals submitted.
Sienna picked up the G W Lunt prize for her medal ‘How Can This be Called Sport?’ inspired by the ‘blood sport’ of pheasant shooting, the front of the medal showing a pheasant at peace in its natural habitat of grassland, whilst the reverse shows the now deceased pheasant being carried by the hunter who shot it. The tail of the pheasant connects both sides of the medal, a reminder of how closely life and death are intertwined.
“I am delighted to have won a prize for my medal. It is encouraging to have my artwork recognised especially as it depicts a topic close to my heart.”
Sienna Williams, BA (Hons) Fine Art student
The judges also recognised the work of second year student Evie Black, whose medal was selected for a special merit. ‘Good Deeds’ depicts a pomegranate in the process of decay, a worm shown moving through the inside and outside of the medal. In Judaism the pomegranate seeds are symbolic of the many mitzvot (good deeds) a person can undertake in their time on earth, the worm feeding off the dying fruit represents the struggle of being able to follow the ‘right’ path.
“I’m so happy to have taken part in BAMS for a second year at Leeds Arts. It feels refreshing to make work in a different way to my usual painting practice. Thank you so much to Gabi and James who helped me complete the medal while I am studying abroad!”
Evie Black, BA (Hons) Fine Art student
The British Art Medal Society’s Student Medal Project exhibition and prize giving will take place on Friday 4 April at Hereford College of Art. The medals who are awarded a prize or a merit will be included in the 2025 catalogue.