Portugal Students Prize

Howard Bilton, a British-born entrepreneur and barrister, has made a multifaceted impact on tax advisory services, philanthropy, and the wine industry in Portugal and beyond. His ventures reflect a unique blend of business acumen and social responsibility, creating a lasting legacy in each sector he touches. 

Tax

As the chairman and founder of The Sovereign Group, Bilton has significantly influenced the tax landscape, particularly for expatriates and international businesses. The Group provides comprehensive tax planning and wealth management services, which help clients navigate complex tax systems. By doing so, it supports individuals and companies to optimize their tax positions within the legal framework, fostering an environment that is conducive to foreign investment and economic growth in Portugal. 

Charity

In the realm of charity, Bilton’s establishment of The Sovereign Art Foundation has made a notable impact on the local and international art scenes. The foundation not only recognizes and supports artists through awards and exhibitions but also raises substantial funds for charitable causes. A significant portion of its work is dedicated to using art as a medium for educational and healing purposes, particularly for disadvantaged children. Through these initiatives, Bilton has harnessed the power of art to make a tangible difference in the lives of many, providing both cultural enrichment and social support. 

 Wine

With Howard’s Folly, Bilton has ventured into the wine industry, intertwining the worlds of oenology and art. The winery is known for producing high-quality wines that reflect the rich terroir of Portugal, contributing to the country’s reputation as a producer of fine wines. Beyond the production, Howard’s Folly serves as a cultural destination, hosting art exhibitions and events that attract visitors from around the world. This unique concept not only promotes Portuguese wine but also elevates the cultural experience of wine tasting, setting a precedent for how wineries can engage with the arts. 

Overall Impact

Howard Bilton’s impact in the fields of tax, charity, and wine is characterized by a forward-thinking approach that leverages professional expertise to foster cultural and social development. By integrating his business endeavors with philanthropic goals, Bilton has shown that commercial success can go hand-in-hand with making a positive social contribution. His efforts have provided a model for sustainable development, showcasing how individual dedication to professional excellence and social responsibility can lead to broad and beneficial societal impacts. 

Inês Valle is a curator, writer, and creative producer driven by a commitment tointernational and interdisciplinary exchange. She has initiated and participated innumerous art projects that aim to deepen our understanding of the concept of the‘other.’ She is the founder of the CERA PROJECT, a non-profit organisation that promotesart that falls outside Eurocentric and Western narratives. She also co-founded DUSK, acontemporary art night festival held at ancestral stone sites, and FRAT, an art andsustainability lab in Nigeria.

As an independent curator, she has collaborated with several organisations includingCentro Cultural Belém, Museum of Contemporary Art – Coleção Berardo, CulturalCentre Carpintarias de São Lázaro, Canberra Contemporary Art, National Museum ofLagos and Artspace Aotearoa. She is currently a Creative Producer at CAM, where shemanages the ‘Bauhaus of the Seas Sails’ project.

Her peripatetic lifestyle and extensive research over the past 20 years, spanningcountries such as Australia, Aotearoa, Benin, South Africa, India, Nigeria, Cambodia,Portugal, and the United Kingdom, have shaped a unique worldview that she brings intoher curatorial projects. She holds a BA in Visual Arts/ Painting and an MA in CuratorialStudies, both from the Faculty of Fine Arts at the University of Lisbon.

Natural de São Bento do Cortiço, concelho de Estremoz, João Carlos Travassos Pena, de 44 anos deu os primeiros passos nas artes na sua formação em cerâmica artística entre 1995 e 1998.

Pintor autodidata, com trabalhos em coleções privadas um pouco por todo o mundo, o artista já percorreu um longo caminho, depois da sua primeira mostra coletiva em 1996, no Museu Municipal de Estremoz, a convite do Professor Joaquim Vermelho.

Em 2008 realizou a sua primeira exposição individual de pintura contemporânea – sala exposições da Quinta do Carmo / Bacalhoa – Glória/Estremoz.

No início de 2020 foi convidado a fazer parte de um grupo de artistas a nível internacional para ilustrar com as suas pinturas o livro de poesia do escritor Canadiano Earl Large,” Living Large”.

No ano de 2021 a convite do gabinete da cultura da Câmara Municipal de Estremoz expos alguns dos seus últimos trabalhos dedicados as paisagens Alentejanas – Casa de Estremoz / Posto de Turismo com o título de “Horizontes Verticais”.

“Multiplus” foi o título escolhido para a exposição que efetuou na Galeria Howard`s Folly em Estremoz em 2022, um misto de estilos e técnicas que tem aprofundado nos últimos anos.

“Oito ou Oitenta” foi a última exposição individual no Salão Rosa do Hotel Marmoris em Vila Viçosa, a mais recente mostra, realizou-se com a participação na Bienal BIALE 2023 em Estremoz.

As obras do artista pode ser visualizadas virtualmente na sua pagina de Facebook em (https//www.facebook.com/joão.pena.50596).

Student at “António Arroio” in the 70s. Co-creator of “Atelier Livre”, author of several exhibitions at that school.

Works selected for Lis81, an exhibition that burned down.

He lived and collected antiquities in the former Zaire. Collector, specifications of the first themed auction of African art at Leiloeiros de Silva in 1990. Collaborated at Galeria Valentim de Carvalho and Galeria Moira.

He was a film producer, and, in multimedia, he was co-founder in 1992 of “IMAGinE+”. Information Technology Consultant for RTP and RDP in the early years of the Web. At Expo98, he produced four CD-ROMs, one of which was awarded. He managed the Blind Zero CD-Extra for Valentim de Carvalho. He adapted the “Hugo” CD-ROMs for Costa do Castelo, Filmes into Portuguese. He managed ParaRede’s interactive television team.

After 2002, he left Timor where he collected information for his book, which would later be the theme of the exhibition he curated, “Weapons and Artefacts of Timor”, and then organized the conference “Heaven and Earth” at the Center Culture of Belém.

He wrote for Público, Independente, Casa Cláudia and Artes & Leilões, among others. He was the author of three novels.

He produced interactive exhibitions at Humberto Delgado Airport in Lisbon and Cristiano Ronaldo Airport in Madeira.

He collaborated with the Manufactura de Tapeçarias de Portalegre, between 2017 and 2022, having curated three exhibitions. He edited Cruzeiro Seixas’ last sculpture in bronze. He created a collection of PJV-MTP silk sheets, inspired by tapestries. It started with Siza Vieira, a luxury box project, in partnership with Maria João Bahia.

He has lived in Spain since 2023, where he organizes a new art project with Spanish and Portuguese artists, taking care of the Iberian cultural exchange for the biennium 2024 to 2025.

He manages his art gallery and regularly participates in the Lisbon Art and Antiques Fair.

Tanya is an artist and creative professional whose work spans textiles, installation, and digital media. With over 15 years of international experience across the UK, Asia, and now Lisbon, she brings a broad creative background to projects in art, design, and fashion.

She has produced work for global brands including Nike, Fendi, Christian Louboutin, and the Mandarin Oriental, while also contributing to major arts initiatives through her roles in project management and marketing.

Tanya has collaborated with the Sovereign Art Foundation in Asia and now leads its work in Portugal as Country Manager, where she oversees the Portuguese Art Prize and expressive arts programmes that support vulnerable children across the country.