Preparations for the 2022 Festival of Suffolk are well under way and people across the county are being asked if they could design a Festival emblem.

Organisers are looking for an artist to create an emblem for the Festival of Suffolk. They are not running a competition but encouraging budding professional artists to contact them, or for others to nominate them.

Once an artist is chosen, the festival will commission them and pay them for their work.

They are now looking to find someone in or from Suffolk to launch their career. They hope to find a hidden talent and use this opportunity to give someone a platform they would otherwise be unlikely ever to find.

Their vision is of a commission that brings to life the variety, colour and energy of the Festival of Suffolk; something which will go on decorations across the county.

They want it to be used on commemorative items, and form an integral part of the Festival’s communications and even its legacy.

Erika Clegg, who is helping to organise the festival, said: "I will work directly with the artist to help them plan, develop and finesse the work and we will celebrate their input publicly.

"I will also support and mentor our chosen artist so they really get the most out of this commission and can start to build a career plan around it.

"From many years working with the creative industries I strongly believe this is the right way to do it, and am proud that Suffolk can do this for someone."

She said the Festival was built around six core values and the emblem should be developed with them in mind:

Open - it is inclusive and welcoming, without boundaries

Original - It is new and/or unique to Suffolk, creating special, unforgettable experiences

Optimistic - the sights are set on excellence, on creating a good future; the festival is positive and ambitious

United - It should bring generations and diverse communities together, connecting networks and organisations for the better

Compassionate - No-one should be left behind. It should be respectful and equitable; everything is sustainable with a positive impact

Of Suffolk - At its heart this is of, for and about the county and the people who live here.

Anyone who would like to nominate themselves or someone they know is invited to email an explanatory note and examples of the artist’s work (as a PDF below 5mb) to erika@festivalofsuffolk.org by the October 11. The commission will need to have been completed by early November.