El III Competition of drawing and painting City of Burriana It has established itself as one of the municipality's most prominent cultural events, bringing together artists of all ages around a common theme: the city, its Mediterranean surroundings, and the Sant Blai festival. The initiative, promoted by the Municipal Arts Centre, has achieved a remarkable response with the presentation of more than 90 works.
In this edition, the competition has combined cash prizes, lots of art supplies and honorary awards with an exhibition open to the public at the La Mercé Municipal Cultural Center. In this way, the initiative not only rewards the winners, but also gives visibility to all participants and reinforces the role of art within the local festive calendar.
A competition that is growing in participation and prestige
More than 90 artists They have submitted their works to the 3rd Ciutat de Burriana Drawing and Painting Competition, a figure that confirms the positive reception of the event among the public and the local artistic community. The works have been distributed across several categories, including the adult category, with a cash prize of 500 euros, and the youth and children's sections, equipped with lots of drawing and painting materials valued at around 300 euros.
The organization is in charge of Municipal Center of Arts of Burrianawhich has transformed this competition into a meeting point for established creators and emerging talents. The combination of artistic competition, public recognition and group exhibition has contributed to the event gaining importance within the municipality's cultural offerings.
The main day of the competition takes place in the La Mercé Municipal Culture Centerwhere the official awards ceremony takes place. At the same event, the exhibition of all the submitted works is inaugurated, creating a convivial atmosphere for participants, families, and the public interested in local art.
In addition to the main prizes, the organization has planned Certificates of participation for all contestants, a way to recognize individual creative effort and to encourage continuity in artistic practice, especially among the youngest.
Among the complementary awards, the following stand out: ceramic figurines Prepared by the teaching staff of the Centre Municipal de les Arts, these are given to those who receive special mentions, reinforcing the symbolic and artisanal character of the competition.
Main awards: recognition of talent at all ages
In the adult category, the jury has decided to award the first prize to Jéssica Gonpra, whose work revolves around the figure of Saint Blai, patron saint of Burriana. The piece, valued for its composition and for the way it integrates tradition and a contemporary perspective, has earned it the main prize, endowed with 500 Euros.
In the youth category, the award has gone to Svitlana Boiko, while in the children's category the winner was Claudia ArámbulBoth have received a lot of drawing and painting products, designed to continue to nurture their creative side and provide them with new tools with which to continue experimenting.
The three winners have also received a commemorative trophy designed by the artist Juan PoréThis piece, created specifically for the competition, has become a symbol of the event and a tangible memento of the experience for those who reach the podium in each edition.
Along with the main prizes, the jury wanted to recognize the overall level of this third edition by awarding honorable mentions to Iñigo Santos, Juan Antonio Avilés, Aya Drouri and Ian ConillThese awards highlight the technical quality, creativity, and variety of styles present among the proposals.
The participants who received special mention were awarded, in addition to the diploma, a Ceramic statuette made by the teaching staff of the Centre Municipal de les Arts, strengthening the link between artistic education and the public projection of the work of students and the creative community.
A jury with a professional profile and linked to the artistic field
The selection of the winning works and honorable mentions was carried out by a jury made up of art and teaching professionalsIts members include the artist and professor Tomás Sendra, the painter Salome Monfortthe multidisciplinary creator Juan Poré, the art historian Vicent Perarnau and the painter Vicent Traver Calzada.
Along with these profiles, the teachers from the Department of Visual Arts at the Centre Municipal de les Arts also participated in the deliberation: Amélia Gual, Isabel Monfort, Angie Vera and José SimónHer experience in artistic training has provided a complementary perspective in the evaluation of the works.
The jury particularly highlighted the technical quality, creativity and the degree of elaboration of the submitted works. The diversity of styles, formats and approaches has required a detailed analysis of each proposal before determining the final list of winners.
This professional approach to assessment contributes to to give solidity and credibility to the competitionWhile offering participants a rigorous evaluation of their work, the feedback implicit in the jury's decision provides many of them, especially those just starting out, as an incentive to continue developing their careers.
The presence of renowned artists and specialists in the cultural field also helps to situate the III Ciutat de Burriana Drawing and Painting Competition within a broader framework, connecting it with the artistic landscape of the Valencian Community and the surrounding area.
Burriana and Sant Blai, thematic focus of the works presented
One of the defining features of this competition is its The theme focuses on Burriana and the Sant Blai festivalThe pieces presented range from urban landscapes and corners of the municipality to festive scenes and symbolic references linked to the city's patron saint.
Among the most recurring reasons are the Mediterranean prints with the sea as the main characterReflecting Burriana's historical relationship with its coastline, the blue tones, the light, and the coastal atmosphere play a significant role in many of the compositions.
There are also repeated allusions to the land of orange groves and the agricultural landscapeThis is another of the municipality's defining elements. Some works play with citrus iconography, while others focus on scenes of everyday life where the countryside and daily life merge.
La festive tradition of Sant Blai This is reflected both in representations that are more faithful to reality and in free interpretations where formal experimentation and the use of symbolic resources predominate. Processions, religious elements, typical gastronomy, and moments of community life appear reinterpreted from different perspectives.
Overall, the competition functions as a collective visual narrative of Burriana, in which each artist contributes their point of view on the city, its surroundings and what makes it recognizable to residents and visitors.
Institutional support and consolidation of the competition
The Culture Department of the City Council, through the Councilman Alejandro ClausellClausell wanted to highlight the public response and the quality of the proposals. He emphasized the high participation and a positive reception for this third editionhighlighting the effort of those who have been encouraged to submit work.
The councilor also thanked the work of teaching team of the Center Municipal de les Arts, a key piece both in the organization of the competition and in supporting the students who decide to take the leap and show their work in this type of initiative.
For her part, the center's director, Ana Llopis, he pointed out that the competition has become established as a key event within the Sant Blai festival programAs he explained, the continuity of the competition over three editions has allowed the event to gain prominence on the cultural agenda and become a key date for many local artists.
This consolidation is not only evident in the number of registered works, but also in the increasing level of the pieces presentedEach call for entries raises the bar, encouraging participants to pay more attention to technique, composition, and visual discourse.
Institutional involvement translates into resources, logistical support, and dissemination, factors that help the III Ciutat de Burriana Drawing and Painting Competition be perceived as a real opportunity to showcase local talent and to bring art closer to the entire citizenry.
Awards ceremony and exhibition at the CMC La Mercé
El La Mercé Municipal Culture Center This venue was chosen to host the awards ceremony for the competition. Participants, their families, jury members, and institutional representatives gathered here for a ceremony that combined formality with a relaxed atmosphere.
During the event, the following steps were taken: announce the awards in each category, the honorable mentions and the presentation of diplomasEach participant has received a written certificate acknowledging their participation in the competition, a memento that many keep as a souvenir of their time at this event.
The winners have collected their trophies designed by Juan PoréThese pieces reinforce the artistic nature of the award itself. In turn, those receiving special mention have been presented with the aforementioned ceramic statuettes crafted by the faculty of the Centre Municipal de les Arts.
At the end of the awards ceremony, the exhibition with all participating worksThe exhibition has been installed in the cloister of the CMC La Mercé, a space that allows visitors to browse the pieces at their leisure and appreciate them up close. different techniques used.
The exhibition will remain open to the public. until March/22During the cultural center's regular hours. This way, both residents and visitors have several weeks to come, explore the galleries, and experience firsthand the work of the more than 90 artists involved.
This format, which combines a competition and an open exhibition, contributes to to give visibility to local artistic talent beyond the day of the awards ceremony itself, extending the cultural impact of the initiative over time and making it easier for art to become part of the daily life of the municipality.
The third edition of the Ciutat de Burriana Drawing and Painting Competition paints a clear picture: a city committed to artistic creation, a large and diverse group of participants who are eager to share their vision of the environment, and cultural institutions that provide spaces, resources, and recognition so that all this talent can find its place and reach the public.
