Osprey to pay £1,000 to artists with best designs supporting people with disabilities; submission deadline November 13

EV charging network Osprey has invited visual artists to submit their designs to celebrate UK Disability History Month (November 16^th to December 16^th) and International Day of People with Disabilities (December 3^rd) by midnight on November 13^th for a chance to win £1,000.

The artists are supposed to submit their designs with an artist’s statement on Instagram or Twitter, tagging Osprey and using the hashtag #OspreyUKDHM, the company said. The piece of artwork is meant to show support for, and solidarity with, the disability community. The final design will be revealed on November 16^th.

The artwork will be made into wraps which will be displayed on up to 30 of Osprey’s Tritium 75kW chargers across the UK for two months, while celebrating Osprey’s commitment to supporting electric vehicle drivers with disabilities, the company said.

“We are building an EV charging network for the future that is open to all, and so it’s important for us to show our support for typically under-represented communities,” CEO Ian Johnston said. “By turning our EV chargers into spaces for artwork we celebrate themes that are suggested by our staff and customers, whilst raising awareness of some important causes and organisations.”

The Osprey chief said he is looking forward to receiving many submissions from talented artists and illustrators in support of Disability History Month and “can’t wait for our drivers to see the final design on our chargers later this year”.

“Despite some improvements, many people still do not still view disabled people as fully human. Disability History Month aims to change this by raising awareness of the unequal position of disabled people in society and advocating disability equality,” Coordinator at UK Disability History Month Richard Rieser said, applauding the company for making public chargers accessible to drivers with disabilities.

Osprey’s chargers are currently hosting artwork by Kaia Allen-Bevan, a Racial Justice and Anti Racism advocate, in celebration of Black History Month (October 1^st – October 31^st) and which challenges the public to learn more about black history and black experiences and act on this all year round.

Prior to this, in July, Osprey showcased artwork by queer illustrator and graphic designer Ben White to celebrate Pride and show its support for the LGBTQ+ community.

For more information on how to submit artwork is here.