Malta & Gozo Students Prize

Caroline Miggiani graduated from the University of Malta in 2012 with a degree in History of Art. Later on, in 2017, she was awarded a Master’s degree in the same discipline.
Her main research interests include art produced during the First and Second World Wars and 20th century British artists who have a connection with Malta.

Miggiani has recently published a book entitled The Official Colours of War and has also written articles for local publications including Treasures of Malta, Melita Historica and the Times of Malta.

She has recently curated a couple of local art exhibitions.

Christine Porter Lofaro commenced her artistic formation at a young age. She attended Art classes at the Malta Government School of Art and also at the Society of Arts Manufactures and Commerce in Valletta. She continued to develop different styles and techniques under the private tuition of Mr. Harry Alden, who was one of Bridget Riley’s students. Christine’s highly realistic oil paintings are like snapshots taken from an imaginative world that is narrated through props, things, and figures. Her work takes traditional ways of painting and applies them to current times, through a fresh and contemporary lens.

Along with 18 years of teaching experience, Christine holds an honours degree in Art and a Master’s degree in Creativity and Innovation from the University of Malta. In 2016, she obtained a Ph.D. from the University of Sheffield (UK) with research on studio spaces and the creative process. Christine is a full-time artist and a visiting lecturer at the University of Malta. In 2019, Christine has been added as a member of the International Guild of Realism. Founded in 2002, the guild recognizes talented contemporary realists, while also building bridges between collectors and artists working in this field. 

Frank is an accomplished global financier, entrepreneur, investor and business leader having started and managed businesses/made investments successfully in Hong Kong-China, the U.S. and Europe where his firm has funded and supported many life-saving/life-improving medical innovations that have significantly benefited many people.

Frank was educated in China, Hong Kong and then the U.S., having worked for several of the world’s top financial institutions and having lived in New York, China, Hong Kong, and Europe. As a keen art lover and collector Frank is presently a member of the board of trustees of The Guggenheim Museum in New York.

Howard Bilton is Chairman and founder of The Sovereign Group. Howard holds a joint honours BA degree in classics and law from the University of Keele and is qualified as a Barrister and called to the Bars of England/Wales and Gibraltar.  

He is a visiting non-resident professor at Texas A and M University where he assists with their LLM and Masters degrees in International Tax and Offshore Centres.  

In 2003 he formed The Sovereign Art Foundation (SAF) which runs a range of art prizes designed to increase the exposure of artists in the region, while raising money to help disadvantaged children.  

SAF has raised over US$11 million which has been used to help thousands of disadvantaged children using expressive arts as a means of education and rehabilitation.  

Howard has a personal art collection comprising around 420 pieces made by a wide range of artists from students to internationally famous artists.   

He has acted as a judge on various Sovereign sponsored art prizes in Hong Kong, Bahrain, Gibraltar, Guernsey, the Isle of Man, London, Malta, Mauritius, Portugal and Singapore.  He has also acted as a nominator for the Sovereign professional prizes in Africa and Portugal. 

Howard is the Founder and Chairman of Howard’s Folly Wines, Portugal. All wines use art on the labels and often feature work by finalists of the various Sovereign art prizes or children taught by SAF. A proportion of the revenue from wine sales goes to support SAF. 

Laura is an artist and former secondary school art teacher and head of department of fifteen years. Now an entrepreneur, she is currently developing new businesses in the Arts in Malta. These are Allura: Malta Open Art Studios, designated to be Malta’s pilot social enterprise, and the MACC: the Malta Arts and Culture Club, a creative hub for those who love all things cultural and Arts-related. Her background is in the visual arts, namely fine art, illustration, textiles, printmaking, digital art and graphic design. She is also working towards a Post-graduate Diploma in Interior Design.

Her creative ventures draw upon her wide and varied artistic background and range of creative skills tin order to drive innovation and change in an industry she is passionate about. She has also previously worked in galleries and exhibitions, office management, publishing and retail, and has a background in events and project management. Her people-facing teaching career has given her a vast amount of presentation experience, upon which she now draws for the networking, public relations and marketing aspects of her new enterprises. These are driven by a passion for the Arts and for Malta itself, which she has come to love since relocating in April 2016. These projects are motivated by a desire to support, promote and celebrate the Arts and to drive constructive change in the creative sectors, so that the Maltese Arts and cultural sectors might evolve alongside social, economic and environmental change. Laura is also a French speaker. Her creative portfolio can be viewed at www.lauraswale.com 

Stephen Griffiths is Managing Director of Sovereign Trust (Malta) Limited and a director of Sovereign Pension Services Limited. Stephen has worked in the financial service industry for many years both in the United Kingdom, Gibraltar and in Malta where he has lived with his family for more than 12 years. Prior to leaving the UK Stephen worked as a management consultant for one of the UK’s largest service providers and before that as a marketing and advertising consultant in print media and television. “As early as I can remember art has always played an important role in my life. My grandfather was a very talented artist and passed on a love of art to me. I am therefore honoured to be part of something that helps encourage that same love of art in others.” – Stephen Griffiths.