BURY Art Society is opening a new annual exhibition.

The popular event will be launched on Saturday December 3 at Bury Art Museum, in Moss Street.

It will showcase work from more than 40 artists from the area in a variety of styles and subject matters.

The work, the majority of which is for sale, goes through a judging process which guarantees a high standard of exhibition that is thoroughly enjoyable for all visitors, museum bosses say.

Visitors are also able to vote for their favourite artwork.

The exhibition will run until February 4 2017 and is expected to be one of the most popular shows of the year at the museum.

This year three new awards are up for grabs – the David Swithenbank Award for Foreign Painting, the Mary Edyvean Award for Flower Painting and the Bury Art Society Life Image Award.

David Swithenbank and Mary Edyvean, currently the president and vice-president of Bury Art Society, have been active and supportive members for many years and the awards are in recognition of their commitment.

Artist and museum supervisor Lee Crocker, who will be on the board of judges for the awards, said: “Everyone at Bury Art Museum is looking forward to Bury Art Society’s exhibition which always showcases the high quality and diverse range of talent in Bury.

“This year offers some surprises due to a change in the awards on offer, which will make for a truly interesting range of artworks and, to some, a surprising choice of winners.”

For those interested in joining Bury Art Society and participating in future exhibitions at Bury Art Museum there are weekly meetings each Monday during term time at Bury College from 6.45pm. For more details, email buryartsoc@btinternet.com.

Bury Art Museum is open Tuesdays to Fridays from 10am to 5pm and on Saturdays from 10am to 4.30pm. Admission is free and the museum is fully accessible.