Liverpool City Region’s best young artists announced

Two budding young artists are celebrating after battling it out with more than 900 pupils from 56 schools across the Liverpool City Region to be named the area’s best young artists.

Jacob Crummey, a Year 9 student from St Margaret’s Academy and Harrison Fair a Year 5 student from Eaves Primary School, were crowned the overall winners of the dot-art Schools competition at a special prize-giving ceremony at Liverpool John Moores University’s School of Art and Design.

Jacob’s winning mixed media piece ‘Exploding Head 5’ and Harrison’s collage piece ‘The Rainforest Alive 11’ both feature alongside the other shortlisted artworks, in the sixth exhibition in the competition’s history.

Prints of the artworks will be displayed at Merseyrail’s Lime Street Lower Level train station from 1 – 31 August.

dot-art Schools is already a well-established fixture in the academic calendar for many Merseyside schools; since its inception almost 4000 students from over 270 schools have taken part. This is the sixth year it has taken place in the Liverpool City Region and due to its success and a new partnership with Liverpool John Moores University, a pilot scheme for Cheshire was also launched last year.

Entrants are asked to produce a piece of artwork that reflects themes they are already exploring at school and best showcases their skills and interests. Schools initially submitted up to 25 student pieces of art, which were then shortlisted by a judging panel made up of representatives from some of the region’s best-known arts and cultural institutions, including Liverpool Biennial, National Museums Liverpool and LJMU, who selected their top three entries from each school for a public vote.

The public were then encouraged to vote online for their favourite piece of work from each school to form part of the exhibition.

The overall winners and runners-up for both primary and secondary categories were chosen and announced by guest judge Pete Ward, (assistant headteacher at Childwall Academy and a specialist leader in cultural education) at the prize-giving ceremonies and exhibition launch. Each shortlisted student was also presented with a certificate by the Lord Mayor of Liverpool Cllr. Christine Banks and Deputy Lord Mayor Cllr Peter Brennan during the ceremony.

Runners up awards in the secondary category were presented to Luke Hallman from Maricourt High School and Molly McMaster of Ormiston Bolingbroke Academy.

In the primary category runners up awards were presented to Charlie Beesley of St Michael’s Catholic Primary School and Alex Connor of St Bede’s Catholic Junior School.

The winners were awarded a variety of prizes from Tate Liverpool, the Albert Dock, Rennies Art Supplies, Cass Art and Tangle Teezer.

dot-art Schools project manager Carolyn Murray said: “The high standard of work continues to develop year on year and it’s rewarding that we have so many talented young artists in the region. We’re also delighted to hold this year’s exhibition at LJMU School of Art and Design for the first time, which is a wonderful space within a setting which can inspire creative young people’s future aspirations.”