On Wednesday 26th June, GUINNESS & Co. launched a major new initiative, Arthur Guinness Projects, designed to champion and celebrate people whose ideas, passion and spirit are enhancing and shaping our culture and identity.
Arthur Guinness Projects is a major new initiative designed to champion the best of our creators, thinkers, doers and makers in the areas of Arts, Music, Sport and Food by offering support and funding to the winning entries.
Together with our panel of 16 experts including Dylan McGrath, Jim McGuinness, Chris O’Dowd and The Script, we’re looking for your ideas – this is your chance to turn something you dream about into something you actually do. The Arthur Guinness Projects panel has been created to choose the overall winning projects, but also to provide mentoring and support to the overall winners.
Entries will be accepted from the 26th of June until 9th August, but even if you don’t have a project to put forward, we still want you to get involved – anyone can vote and this could be the difference between your favorites making it into the top 10%. The general public will vote online for the projects that they would most like to see come to life during the application period and up until the 23rd of August, 2013. Additionally, there will be a wild card element to the process. The projects panel can choose from the pool of projects that did not make up the top 10% in their respective categories, and award up to four wild card projects.
In determining successful applicants, the expert panel will be looking for projects that will inspire everyone across the Island of Ireland; those that deliver on innovation, creativity, achievability, as well as cultural and social good.
Speaking at the launch, Stephen O’Kelly, Marketing Director, GUINNESS said, “Arthur Guinness Projects has been inspired by our founder, Arthur Guinness. He was a true visionary, one of the original innovators who, along with many generations of the GUINNESS family, made many varied philanthropic gestures. We are continuing this tradition with the launch of Arthur Guinness Projects”.
The Arthur Guinness Projects winners 2013, a reflection of Ireland’s spirit, culture and modern identity, will be revealed on 23rd September. Also, some of the winners and applicants will be showcased as part of this year’s Arthur’s Day celebrations.
Chris O’Dowd said, “Ireland has been waiting for an initiative like Arthur Guinness Projects. There are so many people with amazing ideas and coupled with an energy and passion that us Irish are renowned for, I have no doubt that this will help unearth some incredible talent”.
Dylan McGrath commented, “When i first heard about Arthur Guinness Projects, I instantly knew that this was something i wanted to get involved in. It will create a brilliant platform for those within the food sector, in whatever aspect, to come forward and grab the opportunity to turn aspirations into ideas and ideas into reality. Ireland’s reputation in food is rapidly growing, but we constantly need to be innovating and raising the bar. I am very much looking forward to seeing the projects come through”.
Donegal’s Jim McGuinness, “My initial thoughts were that what a great idea, how exciting the project was and how much good could potentially come from it. I feel in the current economic climate this initiative will give great support to many people in the sport arena so I am really looking forward to being involved”.
This is about you now, Ireland – the Arthur Guinness Projects are yours. We can’t wait to see what you do with them.
For more on the Arthur Guinness Projects cultural initiative click here
Arthur Guinness Projects (Press Release) (1)
Arthur Guinness Projects (Press Release) (2)