St Elizabeth Hospice is calling on local artists to get involved in next year's Wild in Art trail, which is promised to be a hoot.

The trail, called the Big Hoot, will see 50 ornately decorated owl sculptures placed across Ipswich between June and September.

It is hoped the event will attract hundreds of thousands of visitors to the town while showcasing the wealth of Suffolk's artistic talent and raising much-needed funds for the hospice.

Past events, Elmer's Big Parade Suffolk and Pigs Gone Wild proved to be immensely popular with locals and tourists alike.

Ipswich Star: St Elizabeth Hospice is calling on artists to submit designs for its Big Hoot 2022St Elizabeth Hospice is calling on artists to submit designs for its Big Hoot 2022 (Image: St Elizabeth Hospice)

The hospice is now calling on artists from across the county to submit their own designs for an expert panel to review, before a special matchmaker event in January sees the designs finalised.

Celia Joseph, the hospice's community relationships fundraising manager, said: “Since announcing the Big Hoot will be coming to Ipswich in the summer of 2022 we have had a great response from the public and local businesses in pledging their support and saying how excited they are for the art trail to come to the town.

“Now we are calling on artists to showcase their talents and creative ideas to design the all-important hoots which will bring joy and colour to Ipswich.

"The designs can be of any theme, but we are really keen to celebrate Suffolk and have bright, positive designs for all to enjoy after the difficult times brought by Covid-19 over the last year."

Submissions close on October 15, with the only statue to be announced so far being Angie Ashford's "A Hoot to Suffolk".

Ipswich Star: A Hoot to Suffolk, the first statue to be unveiledA Hoot to Suffolk, the first statue to be unveiled (Image: St Elizabeth Hospice)

The owl features the oxlip, a flower synonymous with the county.

Artist entries are open to submission from June to 15th October, with the first hoot statue design already announced during the reveal of the Big Hoot 2022 earlier this year.

All artists whose designs are selected will receive £900 and will be provided with guidance from the hospice team during the process of painting and varnishing their hoot statue, to help cover costs of paint and their time.

Sarah Edwards, a nurse at the hospice who painted a statue for Elmer's Big Parade Suffolk, said the trail will provide "vital" funds for the hospice.

She added: “I would thoroughly recommend anyone 'arty' or with a passion for being creative to get in touch and submit a design, being a part of such a vibrant and celebratory art trail is something you will never regret!”

More information can be found here.