Yvonne Wins Access ART X Prize Alumni Impact Award

Dike Onwuamaeze

The Access Holdings, in collaboration with ART X Lagos, has presented the inaugural “Access ART X Prize Alumni Impact Award” to Ms. Etinosa Yvonne, the 2019 winner of the ART X Prize, at its VIP Preview.
This special award within the Access ART X Prize program is created to celebrate the remarkable achievements of past winners of the prize who have continued to innovate and shape the African art landscape.  
Since its launch in 2016, the Access ART X Prize has become one of Africa’s most prestigious platforms for emerging artists, championing creative excellence and cultivating a lasting impact on the global stage.
According to the promoters of the ART X Prize, the Alumni Impact Award is in alignment with ART X Lagos’ 2024 theme: “Promised Lands,” and also reinforced the fair’s dedication to creating sustained artistic growth across the African continent, adding that “this year’s theme embodies a vision of hope, freedom, and new possibilities – an ideal backdrop for honouring the progress of past prize winners whose influential contributions resonate both locally and globally.
“The Alumni Impact Award celebrates these artists’ journeys and the transformative power of their voices in shaping contemporary African art.
“Therefore, this inaugural Alumni Impact Award honours one past winner whose artistic journey exemplifies the Prize’s mission of continuous growth and cultural resonance.”
 During the VIP Preview, the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of Access Bank Plc, Mr. Roosevelt Ogbonna, said that “at Access, we believe empowerment is the cornerstone of progress, and this belief extends well beyond the financial sector.
“By supporting ART X Lagos and initiatives like the Access ART X Prize, we seek to cultivate an enduring, dynamic art ecosystem across Africa, where creativity thrives, and cultural impact is amplified.
“This year, through the special Alumni Impact Award, we celebrate not only the outstanding achievements of past Access ART X Prize winners but also their dedication to bringing African narratives to the forefront of global conversations.”  
In her own remark, the founder of ART X Lagos, Mrs. Tokini Peterside-Schwebig, said:  “The Access ART X Prize Alumni Impact Award embodies our pledge to supporting artists at every stage of their careers.
“By celebrating our past winners and recognizing their continued growth, we reaffirm ART X Lagos’ dedication to driving innovation, social engagement, and long-term impact within the African art community.
“Our hope is to inspire the next generation to pursue their creative journeys with the same passion and resilience.”

In her response, the receiver of this year’s Alumni Impact Award, Yvonne, an artist whose work reflects boldness, creativity, and dedication to social discourse, shared her gratitude.

She said: “I am pleased to be the recipient of the Access ART X Prize Alumni Impact Award.

“The award shows that Access Holdings and ART X are genuinely interested and deeply committed to contributing and sustaining the growth and development of artists at any stage of their career.

“The Nigerian creative economy remains largely untapped. I strongly believe that this award will inspire and encourage public and private institutions in Nigeria to be more intentional about investing, participating and promoting not just Nigerian arts but Nigerian artists in order to bolster our creative economy.”

As ART X Lagos celebrates the journeys of its past winners, it acknowledged their collective impact and aims to inspire future generations of African artists to pursue excellence and social engagement.

The remarkable achievements of these artists have reinforced the strength of African creativity and its power to shape and define a globally relevant future.