“Imagine if…..!”

Our Children’s and Young People’s Art Competition for Autumn 2026.

What if anything was possible?

Imagine if…..Your house could fly!……..
Imagine if…..Robots took their dogs for walks..
Imagine if…..Insects were bigger than humans..
Imagine if…..Your bedroom was in space!
Imagine if…..Oxford was made of sweets..

Following the superb success of last year’s ‘Arty Animals’ competition, with over 200 entries from across Oxfordshire, we are launching our brand new competition for 2026!

This year, we’re asking young artists across Oxfordshire to let their imaginations run completely wild… by completing the sentence ‘Imagine if….!’

There is no right or wrong, we want to see where your imagination takes you. Your idea can be funny, fantastical, beautiful, strange, futuristic, magical, thought-provoking or something we’ve never seen before..! You might create an impossible landscape, invent a strange new creature, transform an everyday object, show us life in the future or completely reimagine the world around you.

The competition is open to all children and young people who live in Oxfordshire who are aged between 5 and 16. There are three age categories:

• 5-8 years (One winner and two runners-up.)
• 9-11 years (One winner and two runners-up.)
• 12-14 years (One winner and two runners-up.)
• …and a special category for those young artists aged 14-16 years where there will be one overall winner.

Superb judges, lots of prizes to be won, and every entry received will be shown at our “Imagine if….!” art exhibition at the wonderful Cornerstone Arts Centre in Didcot.  The exhibition opens with a private view and prize-giving evening for entrant’s families and friends on Friday 8th January 2027 6pm-8pm.

So come on and “Imagine if….!”

Adults, take a photo of the entry (one entry per child) and email it along with the entrant’s name, age and title (which should complete the sentence ‘Imagine If…’) and email it to artcomp@artschool.org.uk

Deadline for online entries: Midnight, Thursday 3rd December 2026.

Deadline to deliver physical entries at the School for the January exhibition: 4pm, Friday 11th December 2026.

Think big. Be curious. Surprise us!

For further details of how to enter and competition rules please click here.