The inaugural Mercury art prize has been awarded to Royal College Of Music student Rowan Mersh. As previously reported, the competition, set up to highlight the link between music and art, was open to art and design students across the UK. Mersh's 'Shape of Music' sculpture will now feature on the cover of the Mercury Music Prize compilation album later this year, while he receives a £5,000 cheque for his efforts. The winning and also commended works, along with 60 that made the shortlist, are on display at The Air Gallery in London until 20 May.
The competition received over a thousand entries. Sir Peter Blake, who sat on the judging panel, said it "was a difficult task choosing the finalist. This is a very impressive exhibition with some excellent works."