An award-winning sculpture from the 7th Award of Art China, by Liu Jianhua. Photos provided to China Daily

Finalists for the eighth Award of Art China have been announced in 12 categories after three months of preliminary assessments in Beijing; Shenzhen, Guangdong province; Wuhan; and Shanghai.

Established by the art portal Artron.net, the annual awards are committed to providing a fair and credible intellectual platform to promote outstanding artists and their work, and to examining art exhibitions, publications and events.

The eighth AAC features a final jury lineup of influential figures including Zhu Qingsheng, a professor at Peking University; Feng Boyi, an independent curator; Karen Smith, an English art critic; and Tang Ju, a collector of Chinese oil paintings.

Speaking of this year's appraisals, He Guiyan, an associate professor at the Sichuan Academy of Fine Arts and a preliminary judge, said the finalists are more diversified and representative than previous years as the preliminary jury of 100 came not only from the contemporary art community, but also from museums, auction houses and media.

"Another change to this year's awards is that a mini forum was held at each of the 10 sessions of preliminary assessments, which made it possible for judges to carry out insightful discussions, instead of just vote and leave."

The awards ceremony will be held on May 23 at the Palace Museum.