Octopus Energy and Artfinder create new prize for art addressing climate change

Today, Octopus Energy and Artfinder announce the ‘Portraits from the Precipice’ project, which will use art to raise awareness of climate change in the run up to the UN’s COP26 summit in Glasgow next year.

Artwork from all over the world will be submitted to the world’s biggest outdoor art exhibition, as artists respond to the brief: ‘What climate change means to you’.

The exhibition will begin in November 2019, and feature in train stations, tubes, and public places across London, representing a public display of support for action against climate change.

Their work will paint the town green using outdoor billboards, and proceeds from art sales on Artfinder will go to renewable energy charities. The project will end with the first annual climate change Art Prize, which will award £10,000 as a first prize to the best entry.

Greg Jackson, CEO of Octopus Energy, commented: “We’re offering the chance for artwork to be created, published and sold for the benefit of the climate. Our upcoming collaboration with Artfinder is a new way of helping more people really think about the climate crisis. Art has always been a key vehicle to visualise difficult topics, and no topic is more difficult than the ongoing destruction of our planet.”

Michal Szczesny, CEO of Artfinder, commented: “We want to create a world where art benefits everyone. That's why we're honoured to partner with Octopus Energy on this very important project. We're bringing the power of art and our artists to advance the climate change debate and drive real action. With art's unique ability to change perceptions we hope to convince more of us to take steps, however small, to start changing the tide on this issue and avert a genuine threat to our fragile ecosystem.”

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Notes for editors:

About Octopus Energy

Octopus Energy launched to the public in April 2016. It supplies 100% renewable electricity and gas to almost 1.3 million homes in the UK, Germany and Australia. Octopus Energy is the only Which? Recommended energy supplier for a second year in a row, has been awarded the company who has done the most to advance renewables in Britain and was voted the UK’s best company to work for. Founded by e-commerce entrepreneurs, Octopus Energy has different starting point to other suppliers, aiming to redefine what is possible for consumers and the system by using technology and data to deliver the best products and experience.

Octopus Energy is backed by Octopus Group, a financial services and energy firm, which manages more than £8.6bn of funds. Octopus has invested more than £2.7bn in renewable assets across Europe, while its ventures arm has backed UK success stories like Zoopla, Depop, Secret Escapes and SwiftKey.

For more information, check out our website.

About Artfinder

Artfinder is the art marketplace. We’re on a mission to make art accessible, affordable and a viable career for artists.

The site is growing fast, currently connecting 600,000 subscribers around the world with 11,000 artists and galleries internationally and 500,000+ artworks in categories including painting, printmaking, photography, sculpture, drawing and collage. Artfinder is VC funded, backed by the investors behind Spotify and Zoopla. Investors include Wellington Partners, Oxford Capital, Cambridge Angels, plus private investors in the UK, the US and Switzerland. In August 2019, Artfinder became the art world’s first certified B Corporation.

www.artfinder.com