The Regional Secretary for Education and Culture stated in Ponta Delgada that youngsters "are worthy of recognition when they show talent and encouragement to help them fighting and not giving up," emphasising that "youth is the future."

Speaking at the delivery ceremony of the António Dacosta Painting Prize, Avelino Meneses stressed the fact that the prize was awarded to a young artist "because, above all, there are not many opportunities for young people in this ageing society."

The prize was delivered to plastic artist Catarina Vieira Pereira, who won the first of this award with the work titled "Renascimento ou Cadáver IV" (Rebirth or Corpse IV).

The jury, consisting of plastic artists Maria José Cavaco and José Nuno da Câmara Pereira and art critic António Pinto Ribeiro, has decided by unanimity to award the António Dacosta Prize to the aforementioned work. The decision took into consideration several aspects, such as "the fact that the artist used an innovative process in the creation of her work and its bold format."

Furthermore, the jury also highlighted that the winning work "reveals the relevant plastic qualities of an artist who is starting her career."

The winning work will be soon on display at Arquipélago - Contemporary Arts Centre, revealed the Regional Secretary, who defended that this centre should be attentive to the "establishment of a correlation with similar institutions inside or outside the Region."

Speaking at the ceremony, the Regional Secretary mentioned that the painter after who the prize is named "was the most important representative of Portuguese surrealist painting, in addition to being an art critic and a poet."

"He was always a painter of the islands as evidenced in the his paintings, which depict regional themes such as the Holy Spirit and bullfights on the rope," Avelino Meneses mentioned, adding that the prize, awarded every two years, was created with the aim of distinguishing regional artists and acknowledging the importance of regional cultural activities in the field of fine arts, with special emphasis on painting."

The Regional Secretary also announced the awarding of more prizes in 2015, namely the Canto da Maia Prize; the latter will distinguish sculpture works.