A blind art student from Dagenham has won the People’s Choice Award at the first ever Cass Art Prize 2024. 22 year old Ruqaiya Asim’s piece was chosen by the public as the highlight of the inaugural Cass Art Prize’s phenomenal longlist, which was exhibited at the prestigious Copeland Gallery, London in November. The Cass Art Prize has been created by leading art supply retailer Cass Art, continuing the Cass family’s monumental legacy of supporting artists for over 120 years.

Asim uses her art to spread disability awareness and advocate for accessibility in art. She said her winning piece was “all about the trust me and my guide dog Bertie share together as he’s my pair of eyes.” Asim attended the Cass Art Prize exhibition at Copeland Gallery, London alongside Bertie. Asim encouraged sighted people who can’t read Braille to touch a black Braille square at the centre of her artwork so they could experience the inaccessibility of art that Asim and others in the disabled community often feel.

The visitor-favourite piece also used prints of Bertie’s paws and traces the shape of his harness. Asim made sure her piece Communication With My Guide Dog was as accessible as possible by adding a braille description and QR code leading to an audio description to her display at the Cass Art Prize exhibition. Asim is a Slade School of Fine Art student who lives in Dagenham, East London. The new, emerging artist competed against multiple established, leading artists to achieve her remarkable People’s Choice Award win.

“I really want to spread more disability awareness in my artwork so thank you so much for voting for me and supporting my artwork.” – Ruqaiya Asim reacting to winning the People’s Choice Award

From art inspired by refugee camps and made in mental health units to National Portrait Gallery Portrait Award 2024 nominees – The Cass Art Prize’s 2024 shortlist was a celebration of British art’s diversity, resilience and impact. Work by the nominated artists, from across the length and breadth of the UK and Republic of Ireland, has been exhibited in a prestigious exhibition at Copeland Gallery, London.

Reuben Murray won The Main Prize, being awarded a £10,000 cash prize and a stand at Saatchi Art’s The Other Art Fair 2025. Inspired by Ben Enwonwu’s African Mona Lisa, Murray’s winning piece Ada proudly portraits Ada, an extraordinary Jamaican Maroon with a Nigerian Yoruba name. Telling the story of African slaves who freed themselves to establish communities of free black people in Jamaica, the moving portrait symbolises strength, struggle and heritage.

Other categories included The Students Award, The Special Judge’s Award presented by Pippy Houldsworth, The Contemporary Art Academy Development Award, The Art Educators Award which went to Brighton-based secondary school art teacher Giuseppe Iozzi, the Michael Harding Award for Oil Painting, the Winsor & Newton Award for Watercolour, Caran d’Ache Award for Drawing & Sketching, Canson Award for Mixed Media & Printmaking, DAS Award for 3D Artwork, Liquitex Award for Acrylic, and the Cass Group Staff Award, a category celebrating the staff who power Cass Art’s beloved art shops.

Cass Art and the Cass family have been supporting artists for more than 120 years – from championing the works of Monet and Van Gogh in 1890s Europe to facilitating the first three commissions on the Fourth Plinth in Trafalgar Square. The Cass Art Prize continues this pioneering spirit.

The Cass Art Prize 2024 was judged by an expert panel, after an Open Call held earlier this year. Judges this year included Curtis Holder, a figurative British artist and previous winner of Sky Arts Portrait Artist of the Year, acclaimed painter and previous winner of the National Portrait Gallery’s BP Portrait Award Justin Mortimer, curator and judge on Sky Arts’ popular Artist of the Year series Kathleen Soriano, gallery owner Pippy Houldsworth, Partner at Carl Freedman Gallery and Counter Editions and TalkArt co-host Robert Diament, founder of Saatchi Art’s The Other Art Fair Ryan Stanier and acclaimed artist Sinta Tantra.

The Cass Art Prize took place on what would have been Wilfred Cass’s 100th birthday and is generously supported by Wilfred’s estate. This family tradition of entrepreneurship and close relationships with the art world continued through the generations as Wilfred Cass, Mark’s father, later ran Reeves, the world’s oldest paint manufacturer. In addition, Wilfred launched the Cass Sculpture Foundation, a British charity that commissioned more than 450 sculptures from emerging artists over 25 years as well as enabling the first three commissions on the Fourth Plinth in Trafalgar Square.

Mark Cass, CEO & Founder of Cass Art said “I would like to thank all our Artists, Judges & Partners for their support bringing this wonderful exhibition to life. I hope visitors have enjoyed what we hope to be the first of many years of this special event, and hopefully be inspired to take part in The Cass Art Prize in the future. The Cass Art Prize is generously supported by my father’s Estate, and its inaugural exhibition marks what would have been his 100th birthday. 2024 is also a very special year for us, as we celebrate 40 Years since I first started Cass Art, so it seems fitting to take this opportunity to bring together & celebrate just some of the amazing artistic talent we have across the UK & Ireland.”

The Cass Art Open Call will reopen in spring 2025.