Warrington & Vale Royal College announces Young Artist of the Year
Warrington & Vale Royal College recently celebrated the artistic talents of young students across the region with their annual Young Artist of the Year competition. The competition, organised by the college‚ School Engagement Team in partnership with their Art & Design department, invited local school students in year 10 and year 11 to submit their best artwork in a bid to be crowned Young Artist of the Year. The winning prize was an artist kit worth £65, containing a selection of artists‚Äô essentials from Abacus Supplies.
The artwork submitted, which included various forms of media such as drawing, collage and photography, was of an extremely high standard and greatly impressed the college‚ Art & Design tutors. Ben Brady, Senior Curriculum Manager for Art & Design, had the tough task of selecting finalists from the outstanding artwork submitted.
The finalists were announced at a virtual showcase and online exhibition on Thursday 1st of April, which was attended by the competition entrants and their parents/carers. The overall competition winner was announced as Emily Gambles, year 11 student at St. Edmund Arrowsmith Catholic High School, whose portrait drawings demonstrate her incredible talent and passion for art. Emily explained her love of portraits, saying: I enjoy being able to capture something different in each person, whether it be realistic or stylised; each face provides a certain essence that inspires me to put my pencil to paper. She was delighted to be crowned the winner, saying: I was extremely flattered to find that others had appreciated my artistic efforts enough to reward me so generously.
Emily‚ mum Lisa Gambles was overjoyed to see Emily named as the winner, saying: We were delighted when Emily told us she was entering the Young Artist of the Year competition. After such a tricky twelve months, we felt it really important that students like Emily still had the opportunity to show their skills and achievements; we are grateful to the college for this. When Emily confirmed she was a finalist we were thrilled but to find that she had won, we felt incredibly proud!
Ben Brady was pleased to be able to host the event, despite the unusual circumstances of the past year, saying: I‚Äôm delighted that we were still able to run the competition this year, it‚ always a pleasure to see the immense talent of the young people in our area. Everybody who entered should be really proud of themselves and I hope they continue to pursue their passion for art in the future