Prisoners on Create projects win three prized Koestler Awards
I am very pleased to announce that prisoners who created radio plays as part of Create’s Inside Change project in 2022/23 have won three prestigious Koestler Awards.
The prizes are awarded by Koestler Arts, a charity dedicated to awarding, exhibiting and selling artwork by prisoners, detainees and secure patients.
Inside Change enables prisoners to explore financial literacy through radio drama. Working with our professional drama artist and sound engineer in a series of high-quality creative arts workshops, they write, perform and record a radio play centred around personal finance issues. This helps them to develop their financial capability, which aids transition back into society on release. Where possible, plays are broadcast on National Prison Radio so that other prisoners can hear them.
“This project has definitely been one of the more productive things I’ve done since I’ve been in jail. I feel like I’ve come away from this with actual knowledge that will help me in the future.”
Harrison, Inside Change Particpant
Out of the Woodwork, a play written and recorded by prisoners during summer 2022 with our drama and sound artists, was given a highly-coveted Bronze Performance Award by Koestler Arts. Two other performances, Crop Circle and Tiger Castle, produced during autumn and winter 2022, were respectively highly commended and commended by the judges.
At Create, we believe that everyone should have access to creativity. The creative arts have a unique ability to improve our wellbeing, confidence, and mental health. Creativity enables us to express ourselves and imagine new possibilities. And on our Inside Change project, prisoners learn crucial new skills to help them on release.
We are delighted to see the artwork created by prisoners recognised with these Koestler Awards, which again proves how vital and important this work is.
As ever, I am hugely grateful to the funders, artists and Create staff team for making these innovative projects possible, and to the prisons that welcome us through their doors.
Nicky Goulder, Founding Chief Executive
Funded by Santander Foundation
Sign up to our newsletter
