THE judging panel for a new national £40,000 art prize run by a North-East university has been announced.

The Woon Foundation Painting and Sculpture Art Prize, launched by Northumbria University graduate Wee Teng Woon in 2012, offers final year students of fine art the opportunity to win one of three major prizes and two consolation prizes each year, valued at £40,000, through his family's foundation.

The judging panel will be chaired by Turner Prize-nominated artist and BALTIC Professor Christine Borland.

Other panel members include: Lisa Milroy, from the Slade School of Fine Art, University College London; Sally Tallant, director of Liverpool Biennial; Sorcha Carey is director of the Edinburgh Art Festival and Rebecca Morrill, head of collector development (North- East) for the Contemporary Art Society.

The winner of the Woon Foundation Painting and Sculpture Art Prize will receive a £20,000 bursary which will be used to fund the cost of a fellowship at Northumbria University.

The prize will be open to final year students of fine art from across all universities in the UK.

The winner will also have access to dedicated studio space in the BxNU Institute of Contemporary Art in Newcastle.

The successful artist will also have access to exhibition space to showcase their work produced during their fellowship and will receive mentoring from Prof Borland.

Two other major awards of £9,000 and £6,000 are available and two consolation prizes of £3,000 and £2,000 will be awarded at the discretion of the judging panel.

Mr Woon is a Northumbria University Law graduate. He lives in Singapore but has maintained strong links with the North-East.

The closing date for applications is 30 January 2013.

For more information visit www.northumbria.ac.uk/woonartprize.