Creativity takes centre stage in Year 5 Art Competition
130 artists from 18 local schools excitedly entered the Dining Hall to see their work on display at the 2026 Year 5 Art Competition.
The event, which is now in its 13th year, had a theme of ‘self-portrait’ and this year’s judges, Head of Art Mr Richard Davies and Art Teacher Mrs Becci Upton, were thoroughly impressed with the imaginative interpretation of the entries.
The artworks span a variety of media, from imaginative photography and vibrant, other‑worldly pastels to intricate, multi‑layered collages. The skill and care shown in each piece made selecting winners incredibly challenging, and all artists were warmly congratulated for being chosen to represent their schools.
The winner of this year’s competition was Laila A from Lady Barn House School. Her work was praised for its confident and bold use of colour and mark-making.
Runners up were Ethan S from Heyes Lane Primary School and Lucia L from St Thomas’ CE Primary School.
Two pieces of artwork were also highly commended on the night Dylan S from The Ryleys School and Vivien M from Gorsey Bank Primary School.
Mr Davies said: “The quality of work was outstanding across a wide range of media including drawing, painting, collage, print, mixed media, and 3D. It was also clear that work by other artists had been used to develop ideas. It was a real pleasure seeing such a wealth of artistic talent on display; I hope you enjoyed creating your work as much as I enjoyed viewing it.”
During the evening, the children listened to great talk by professional artist and Old Stopfordian Kate O’Brien (OS 2000) and enjoyed taking part in art activities led by SGS art students. They also sampled the delicious home-made bakes from the school’s kitchen!
All of the artists went home with a small gift to help them continue to capture their creativity for others to enjoy.
