RAF Club Competition Winner Announced

The competition to design a new window for the Royal Air Force Club in Piccadilly featuring the badge of the Royal Auxiliary Air Force has been won by 29 year-old Chad Kenney, a serving member of the RAF.  His response on being told of his winning entry was, “I am genuinely so honoured to be chosen amongst some incredible designs!”

This is the third contemporary piece of stained glass artwork that the RAF Club has commissioned in recent years and it is keen to continue the inclusion of bold, large-scale new work in a secular building. The British Society of Master Glass Painters are delighted to be able to support them achieve their ambitions in a drive to take the making of traditional stained glass windows off the Red List of Endangered Crafts.

Chad was one of five emerging artists who were shortlisted to produce a design for the large 2.4m x 0.9m window. Each artist was given a design fee and paired with an experienced stained glass mentor. He wrote, “I feel I am a bit of a wild card being from the military side of the joint project and being a designer not a glass painter, but this allows me to give an alternative perspective to the project. The aim of the design is to pay homage to the people, past and present, that make up the RAuxAF in its centennial year.” Chad will be collaborating with his mentor, Deborah Lowe, to realise the design in glass.

The designs were judged blind by a panel of experts from the RAF Club, the Royal Auxiliary Air Force and the British Society of Master Glass Painters. The judges were impressed by the creativity and skill of all finalists who are all emerging artists, making the decision a challenging and thorough process. We are sure many of you will have your own favourite and congratulations were extended to the other shortlisted artists: James Cockerill, Catherine Lee, Natasha Redina, and Michael Vincent.

The window will be unveiled later this year by HRH The Duke of Gloucester KG GCVO, who is president of the British Society of Master Glass Painters and is Air Commodore-in-Chief of the Royal Auxiliary Air Force.