Coastwise Competition and Exhibition

Date published: 21st July 2026

In Autumn 2024, Coastwise held an art competition based on the success of an international competition that we sponsored –  The Climate Creatives Challenge - Challenge 04

The competition invited artists to consider how we can communicate coastal change along the North Norfolk coast, its impacts on coastal communities and the benefits of preparing and adapting.

There were lots of entries with a variety of mediums including paintings, drawings, mixed-media pieces, poems, cartoons, and stories.

The judges selected winning and commended entries, which were displayed in an Exhibition at The Simon Aspinall Centre at Norfolk Wildlife Trust's Salthouse and Cley Marshes nature reserve for visitors over two months, from March to May 2025.

Prints of the winning entries were later displayed at Sheringham and Mundesley libraries and have been used at Coastwise Cafes and for part of the Coastal Practitioners conference at the Cromer museum.

The exhibition was valuable for education, and there was a Coastwise Exhibition Booklet to inspire schoolchildren to be creative in their understanding and interpretation of what is happening at the coast, what erosion means to them, and the importance of adaptation. 

There was also a launch event for the winners and commended entries to attend and receive their prizes.