THE winners of a prestigious art competition were revealed last night ahead of a thought provoking exhibition which opens in the region today.

Seventy-two artists from across northern England were selected from more than 2,200 entries to take part in the biennial New Light Prize exhibition this year.

From hyper-real portraits and gritty urban scenes, to abstract paintings and meticulously drafted drawings – the exhibition shines the spotlight on the diverse talent that exists in the region.

And last night, on the eve of the grand opening at The Bowes Museum in Barnard Castle, five artists were singled out for further praise at a special prize-giving ceremony.

The top honour went to Christopher Cook, originally from Great Ayton in North Yorkshire, who received the Valeria Sykes Award and a £10,000 cash prize for his graphite work, Forbidden Fruit.

The former Barnard Castle School pupil said: "I'm delighted of course but I also feel astonished. New Light is quite a traditional show and my work tends to push the boundaries. It is fantastic that less traditional work can win prizes and be celebrated in this way."

David Chandler, meanwhile, scooped the Patrons Choice Award and a £2,500 cash prize for his painting, The Lobby.

The other winners were: Jean Huntly Peace, from Lancashire, who won the New Light Purchase Prize for her porcelain and gold-leaf work Evaporate; Deborah Grice, from East Yorkshire, who scooped the Saul Hay Emerging Artist Award for her oil painting Coastal Moonlight II; and Neil Bousfield, originally from Middlesbrough, who won the Zillah Bell Printmakers’ Prize for his wood engraving Marsh Lands.

New Light runs at The Bowes Museum until January, after which it will go on tour to Huddersfield Art Gallery, Tullie House Museum and Art Gallery in Carlisle and the Bankside Gallery in London. It features an eclectic mixture of paintings, sculpture, prints and drawings.