BA (Hons) Fine Art graduates from Arts University Bournemouth (AUB) have been selected to feature in the prestigious Platform Graduate Award 2026, an initiative designed to champion and support exceptional emerging visual artists across the region.
Led by the Contemporary Visual Arts Network South East (CVAN South East), the Platform Graduate Award is a key initiative established to support artists during the critical first year following graduation. The scheme offers emerging artists crucial exhibition opportunities, professional mentorship, and a platform to build long-term creative networks outside of London.
This year, AUB’s Maddy Drake and Phillippa Todd were shortlisted for their outstanding final-year work, which will be exhibited in partnership with Aspex Portsmouth.
Maddy works with textiles and soft sculpture to create detailed installations. Her practice focuses on reworking flags removed by organisations opposing the far-right, and flipping its intentions into things of love and invitation.
“Being shortlisted for the Platform Graduate Award is an achievement that I am very grateful for," Maddy comments. "Attempting to transition from university to a creative career can be daunting, so CVAN South East giving opportunities like this to new graduates gives me an amazing opportunity to develop my practice and establish myself as an artist in the most important part of my career.”
The Platform Graduate Award works in partnership with leading regional galleries to highlight promising talent, fostering connections between higher education institutions, major contemporary art spaces, and local creative communities.
Richard Waring, Course Leader for BA (Hons) Fine Art at AUB, commented, “We are immensely proud of our Fine Art graduates. Being selected for the Platform Graduate Award is a testament to their dedication, creative ambition, and the exceptional standard of work produced in our studios. This opportunity will provide them with invaluable exposure and support as they take the first steps in their professional artistic careers.”
To learn more about the Platform Graduate Award and view this year’s cohort of artists, visit CVAN South East's website.
