South African Ballpoint Pen Artists Celebrate creativity

[JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA – 23 November 2022]: BIC has recently announced the winners of the fifth edition of the BIC Art Master Africa competition. Artists, under the theme, Celebrating Africa, were encouraged to create artwork that reflects their identities, the continent’s diversity and people using the BIC ballpoint pen.

Three Art Master Africa competition winners and six national winners from countries across the region including South Africa, Nigeria, Uganda, Kenya, Morocco, and Tunisia were announced. Winning pieces were chosen out of a total of 6,574 pieces submitted marking a significant increase versus last year. The art pieces were selected by a panel of judges comprised of experts from BIC, renowned artists from the region, and previous Art Master Africa competition winners.  
 
In South Africa, Romeon Mwiseneza was named the National Winner of the BIC Art Master Africa competition for his artwork Imwe hamwe na Kamere (One with Nature).
 
In first place artist Nosakhare Igbinosa won with his portrait titled ‘Bona’. Artist Hezekiah Okon with portrait titled ‘Proudly an African’ ranked second; and artists Moses Ojeleye with portrait titled ‘Amaka’, and Dumbor Debeeh with portrait ‘Echoes of joy’ were announced in third place.  
 
The national winners across Africa include the following:  
• Nigeria: Proudly an African by Hezekiah Okon, also the second place Art Master Africa winner 
• Uganda: Celebrating Africa in Harmony with Wildlife by artist Maiku Fred 
• Kenya: African Culture portrait by Griffin Lundi 
• Morocco: Mother Africa by Essadik Laila 
• Tunisia: Africa with my pen by Mouhamed Boudhri
 
The Art Master Africa winner received a cash prize of USD 2,000, while second and third place winners received prizes of USD 1,000 and USD 500 respectively. National winners have received cash prizes of USD 500 each as well as BIC hampers.  
 
Commenting on the occasion, Peter Van den Broeck, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Middle East and Africa said: “In its fifth edition, Art Master Africa continues to shine a light on ballpoint pen artists as they express themselves through creativity. Our flagship competition has seen tremendous growth year-on-year with higher participation numbers. We are proud of the results we have seen to date and are confident that we will continue to encourage African youth to express themselves through art and creativity.”  
 
South Africa winner, Romeon Mwiseneza, said: “Participating in the BIC Art Master Africa competition is something I decided to do in my gap year in university, due to my passion for art and creativity. I am delighted and honored to be named the National Winner in South Africa. I am grateful for organizations such as BIC that invest in the creative space and self-expression. There are numerous talents in the country and the region that need such a push and that could benefit from such initiatives. I encourage other South African ballpoint pen artists to participate in Art Master Africa and similar initiatives to help build on and enhance their skillsets.”
 
BIC Art Master Africa is an annual competition that was launched in South Africa in 2017. Following its success, it expanded to the Africa region in 2019 and into the Middle East in 2021. BIC has long been connected to art and regularly celebrates the creativity and originality of talented individuals.
 
The history of BIC's connection to art stretches back over 60 years. As part of the brand's ongoing celebration of creativity and originality, BIC regularly acknowledges artists who use its products to create masterpieces. More than 250 works of art by 80 international artists are part of BIC's Art Collection. International exhibitions of BIC products are held in leading museums around the world through partnerships with renowned art institutes.