Opening the exhibition, Keele University Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Professor Maggie Pearson, said:"This exhibition is one of the highlights of the year for the Keele University Art Gallery.
Arts at Keele are very important and we are delighted that so many have entered this competition."

The judges - Keele University Arts Advisor, John Rhodes, Royal Academy Artist, David Gleeson, from Stafford, and Professor Ian Bell, Keele University Arts Committee Chairman - selected work to be included in the exhibition from a record 325 submitted; and also picked the prize winners.

Mark wins
First prize of £300 went to Mark Elsmore, of Longsdon, for a watercolour gouache painting called "Florina Carnevale, Venezia"; with a second prize of £100 to June Burnett, of Longton, Stoke-on-Trent, for a watercolour painting titled "The Hare".

The third prize of £50 was awarded to John
Thirlwall, of Stone, for his oil painting titled "Smithy's Wall, Jara".

Professor Pearson and Ruth Allen admire a work

Commended by the judges were: "Flori i Plante", a mixed media painting by Ruth Allen, of Stafford;
"Rescue Me" an oil and chalk painting by Liz Astbury, of Basford, and "North Uist", an acrylic painting, by Stewart Stevenson of Cheshire.

Success
Exhibition organiser, Marion Gidman, said: "Since its launch, the Three Counties Open has proved an outstanding success in attracting entries of the highest quality from artists throughout Cheshire, Shropshire and Staffordshire.

"The aim of the exhibition is to give artists in the region the chance to show their work to new audiences. The standard this year has been excellent and it has proved very difficult for the judges to make their final decisions. I am sure they will prove an outstanding attraction for visitors to the Art Gallery at Keele University."

For further information on the exhibition, which runs until Dec 17th 2004 - contact Marion Gidman, Keele University Art Gallery Curator (Tel.: 01782-583376), or the BBC Staffordshire Arts What's On pages.
Works exhibited are for sale.