Region’s finest young creative talent is celebrated in UON art and design contest

The University of Northampton celebrated the region’s brightest young creative talent at its School Arts & Design Competition.

The annual contest sees an expert judging panel of University academics choose the very best work by sixth formers and college students from Northamptonshire and Bedfordshire, with this year’s competition attracting 309 entries from 17 schools.

This year’s winners were revealed at a special prize-giving evening, held at Waterside Campus, on Thursday 5 December.

The audience at the awards night.

Mia Woods, from Northampton High School, scooped the award for Most Outstanding Work on the night, and also picked up first place in the Fine Art category for her piece Hell Just Called.

Mia Woods with her winning artwork ‘Hell Just Called’.

The category winners were:

• Drawing – 1st Monika Kwak, Kettering Buccleuch Academy; 2nd Ellie Sidlauskas, Northampton High School for Girls; 3rd Ella Edwards, Kimbolton School.
• Illustration – 1st Arin Pekdemir, Kimbolton School; 2nd Jessica Dennis, Weavers Academy, Wellingborough; 3rd Alastair Hamilton, Kimbolton School.
• Fashion & textiles – 1st Lulu Pemberton, Wellingborough School; 2nd Anna Kate Wood, Northampton School for Girls; 3rd Lizzie Wilson, Kimberley Sixth Form College, Stewartby.
• Photography – 1st Louisa Oliver, Caroline Chisholm School, Northampton; 2nd Wiktoria Oracz, Malcolm Arnold Academy, Northampton; 3rd Natalija Sidlovska, Caroline Chisholm School, Northampton.
• Fine Art – 1st Mia Woods, Northampton High School; 2nd Karolina Kusza, Northampton School for Girls; 3rd Juan-Carlos Trotter, Northampton School for Boys.

Karolina Kusza, from Northampton School for Girls was runner up in the Fine Art category.

Lulu Pemberton from Wellingborough School.

Lizzie Wilson from Kimberley Sixth Form College.

The University’s new Deputy Vice Chancellor, Professor Shân Wareing, attended the evening and was impressed with the standard of work on display.

She said: “The creative arts are vitally important for developing all kinds of insights and skills, and it was fantastic to see the quality of artwork produced by students across Northamptonshire and beyond.

“Many of the exhibited works were breathtaking in beauty, rigour and execution. I would have gladly taken lots of them home with me.

“As a newcomer to the institution, it was also really brilliant to see students and teachers participating in an event at the University. It was a chance to celebrate the enormous contribution which the schools have made to their students’ journeys, and a chance to look forwards – through the exhibition, the public recognition and the prizes – to the futures opening up for these talented young people.”

Ella Edwards, from Kimbolton School, took third place in the Drawing category.

Alastair Hamilton, from Kimbolton School, was third in the Illustration category.