SPoKE Documentary Competition

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SPoKE is a documentary competition where students are invited to make a five- to seven-minute film on a work of art of their choice. This can be anything at all: painting, sculpture, architecture, conceptual or performance art, photography. Films are judged by a panel and cash prizes awarded. There are three main criteria: first, academic research into the style, subject matter, medium, social and political context; second, technical competence (image, sound, editing etc.) and third, the imaginative use of the first two criteria to present a visually engaging analysis of the art work chosen. Students are allowed to collaborate on a single film. There are three age categories: up to 14 years, 15–16 years and 17–18 years.

Origins

SPoKE emerged out of my own classroom teaching: I taught History of Art A Level for 20 years in an independent boarding school. In order to support those who struggled with essay writing, I got small groups of students to make short documentary-style presentations on their phones about specific works of art: some worked on the object itself, others on the artist, others on the social context. We then spliced their footage together to produce a short film. In 2015 I set up SPoKE as a competition and it has been slowly growing ever since. And although it began as a teaching tool for A Level art historians, we also started to get entries from art students. So, while the number of entries we get is relatively small (about 70 last year) the range of students who submit films is now diverse: from both the maintained and independent sectors, from students with an art or art history background or neither, from schools in the UK and beyond. I fundraise to generate the money to pay for running costs and prizes.

Skills

The skills with which students need to engage are wide ranging. There’s the technical aspect: camera work, editing, transitions, sound levels for any commentary or background music, splicing a student’s own footage with archive material. There’s a creative side too: lots of students have included 2D and occasionally 3D animation within their film to underline a particular point; others have literally re-enacted their chosen artwork. Finally, successful films need to demonstrate research skills, the ability to articulate ideas and offer a convincing interpretation of the work. We allow the use of AI in the production of the films, but students have to declare it on their entry form.

Marrying technical, creative and research skills with the visual so that each complements the other is the essential challenge, and it’s a daunting one. But in the words of the 2018 competition winner, Holly Hanson, ‘I remember on the night watching the amazing other films in reverse order and thinking that I didn’t stand a chance of winning or even being placed. I actually couldn’t bring myself to words when my film was announced in first place. It’s a moment I’ll carry with me forever. I’m so grateful to have had this experience and I recommend to anyone considering entering next year to go for it, even if you’re nervous at the start just like I was.’

Image 1. Film still from SPoKE winning entry, Alla Africa, by M. Taylor (2021).

Past winners

Past winners’ films are not uploaded onto the public pages of the SPoKE website. This is partly because of copyright: we don’t ask students to obtain permission from copyright holders to use images, archive footage, background music and the like. The great benefit of this constraint is that there is no established template for success. Past winners’ films have varied enormously as a result. Many are truly astonishing. Nonetheless, it is possible for educators to request permission to look at previous winning films privately and we’re more than happy to give anyone access if they do.

Judges

The films are judged by a panel with a wide variety of expertise – film makers, artists, academics, media professionals, teachers. One of the judges for the first competition from 2015 was James Gay-Rees, producer of Senna and Amy who wrote, ‘I thought the winning films were really very impressive: creative, challenging, engaged.  It’s a wonderful competition.’ The main point here is that the final results are no one individual’s subjective choice. Judges are also blind to the name of the filmmaker’s school or college. From the marks awarded we generate a shortlist, and then the winners. Through this process, while the final positions of the top four films might be open to debate, the best do come to the top. 

Image 2. Film still from SPoKE winning entry, Housewives with Steak Knives, by A. O'Neill (2024).

About the author

Tom Parsons taught at St Mary’s Ascot for 20 years. Prior to that he worked as a schools lecturer at the National Gallery and Tate galleries. He has published books on Post-Impressionism and Rodin.

Find out more

Please visit the SPoKE website: spokecompetition.com or email Tom at [javascript protected email address]

Entry is made through completion of the Declaration Form on the website and films are submitted via WeTransfer. The deadline for next year’s competition is 20 January 2026.

Tom can offer workshops in person or online.