LAUNCHING OUR ARTY ANIMALS COMPETITION!
Who is your animal imaginary friend? What does your animal companion look like? Who is your Beastly Bro or Bestie?
Show us! We are inviting all the children and young people of Oxfordshire to draw, paint, or make a model of their animal imaginary friend and enter our competition to win some super prizes AND exhibit your work in a gallery!
So get out your pencils, crayons, paints, sticky bits, fluffy bits, cardboard tubes, tape, googly eyes, paint brushes and anything else you can find and show us, on a piece of paper or card no bigger than A3 (that’s 2 x A4) or in a model no bigger than 12cm cubed what your animal friend looks like.
Then ask your grown-up to take a good photo or scan of your work and email it to sunningwell@artschool.org.uk by midnight on Thursday 6th November with your name, age and title of your work in the file name, and a phone number and home address for your grown up in the email.
There are three age categories and each category will have one overall winner and two runners-up.
- 5-9yrs
- 10-13yrs
- 14-16yrs
PRIZES:
Winners in each category – Your artwork professionally framed by the Sarah Wiseman Gallery (if 2d), or display plinth and engraved plaque (if 3d), a voucher for £50 worth of art materials from Broad Canvas and a full bursary for a term in a young person’s class of your choice at Sunningwell School of Art worth over £200.
Runners-up in each category – A voucher for £30 worth of art materials from Broad Canvas and a full bursary for a term in a young person’s class of your choice at Sunningwell School of Art worth over £200.
All entries will be exhibited in the gallery at the Magdalen Road Studios in Oxford. The dates of the exhibition are Monday 1st December – Friday 5th December with an open evening for you and all your friends and family to see all the wonderful creatures and arty animals created!
Judges:
Sarah Wiseman of The Sarah Wiseman Gallery, Summertown.
Sarah Spackman RBA
Parents and guardians please read these rules, terms and conditions.
- The competition is open to all children aged 5-16 as of November 6th 2025.
- 2D entries on paper or card in any medium no bigger than A3, 3D entries in any medium no bigger than 12cm cubed.
- Entries should be all your child’s work.
- Unfortunately no digitally generated entries or 3D printed entries are allowed.
- Please email a scan or a photograph of your child’s artwork with NAME, AGE and TITLE of the work as the file name to sunningwell@artschool.org.uk. Please also include your telephone number and home address in the email.
- We cannot accept any entries that are not clearly labelled as above.
- Only one image per email entry.
- Closing date – Midnight Thursday 6th November 2025.
- Every entry will be exhibited at an exhibition at the Magdalen Road Studios in Oxford. Please send by post or drop off the original entry to : Sunningwell School of Art, The Old School, Sunningwell nr Abingdon, OX13 6RD (01865 730442) any time between Monday 15th September and Saturday 15th November. Exhibition dates are Monday 1st December to Friday 5th December 2025.
- Original artwork must be clearly labelled with your child’s name, age, title of work and your phone number. You will be given a receipt upon drop-off, or emailed a receipt if the artwork is received by post.
- By emailing us your entry, you are consenting to Sunningwell School of Art sharing images of your child’s artwork on the School’s social media platforms, local press and website. We will only disclose the winning names with parent or guardian consent.
- For full Terms and Conditions please click here.
WINNERS WILL BE ANNOUNCED ON THURSDAY 16th NOVEMBER 2025.
WE WANT TO BE……. WITH YOU!
We are delighted to announce our new children’s and young people’s Youth Bursary Scheme for the wonderful young artists of Oxfordshire aged between 5 and 16.
Did you know we have 8 amazing classes a week for 5-16’s?
Between 4.30pm and 6.00pm Monday-Thursday Sunningwell School of Art belongs to children and young people for classes taught by practising professional artists in art studios, not classrooms.
Half and full bursaries are available.
Please click here for all the information you need. We know your time is precious so the application process is short and sweet, and if you or anyone you know know is eligible and would like more information, please share on social media or contact us.
01865 730442, or sunningwell@artschool.org.uk
JOIN US FOR A CREATIVE FUTURE
ABINGDON HERITAGE WEEKEND
Sunningwell School of Art is collaborating with Abingdon Heritage Weekend in 2025. The theme for this year’s festival is ‘Architecture’. Art school tutors, artists and staff will be leading free architecturally focused ‘make it and take it home’ workshops for adults and young people aged 5 years and up. (Under 14s to be accompanied by an adult).
Saturday 13th and Sunday 14th September 2025
11.30pm to 2.30pm
Kempster Room, Abingdon Museum
Drop-in only
ORGANISED AS PART OF HERITAGE OPEN DAYS
Made possible by a grant from Doris Field Charitable Trust