A prestigious art award has gone to a new winner after the previous holder was disqualified following claims of plagiarism.

Antoine Hunt was given the $2,000 third Judge’s Choice spot in the Charman Prize awards for his work Thirty Two Sixty Four after Scott Stallard’s multimedia Wasted Time was ruled ineligible.

Linda Wilde, art lecturer and historian, said Mr Hunt’s work was a “unique and interesting combination of classical materials”.

She added: “Antoine’s work is an exciting reflection of the spirit of the people of the island — so full of life, love and creativity.”

Mr Stallard’s piece was disqualified because it was not created in the previous two years as outlined in the competition’s rules.

But there was also controversy about who created his entry.

James Collieson contacted competition organisers to claim the artwork was an altered version of a piece created by his father, Will Collieson, several years earlier.

The artist confirmed to The Royal Gazette that he sold his piece, Night Shift, to Mr Stallard about nine years ago.

It was exhibited at the Bermuda National Gallery as part of the Bermuda Biennial in 2008.

Mr Stallard handed back the cash prize after the controversy surfaced.

Tom Butterfield, founder of Masterworks Museum of Bermuda Art, said: “The important part is the prize opens up a dialogue in the community and gets away from the diatribe and vitriol by understanding what the Charman Prize has set out to do.”

He added: “By and large, the response to the Charman Prize in the community is overwhelmingly positive and that’s exactly how it should be. We are delighted of the quality of work this year.

“The idea is that artists submit fresh work from one prize year to the next.”

Mr Butterfield said the competition brought the community together through art.

He said: “On opening night we welcomed 500 people from all walks of life, all hues and colours, and economic backgrounds, and I think this is a really good thing.”

The Charman Prize was established by island businessman John Charman.

Nearly 120 works were entered in this year’s competition, which is held every two years.

The competition is open to artists based in Bermuda and Bermudians living overseas.