A Derry schoolgirl has won a prestigious art competition.
Aishling Gallagher has been named as a winner in the 2016 Arts & Minds competition organised by the NASUWT, the largest teachers’ union in the UK.
Arts & Minds is an annual, UK-wide competition aimed at promoting race equality and diversity in schools.
Children and young people from primary, secondary and special schools are judged in two categories – art and creative writing.
Aishling, who is a Year 11 pupil at Lumen Christi College, was chosen as a winner of the secondary school artwork category for her piece “We are all equal”.
Aishling picked up her prize at the national awards ceremony in London yesterday.
The judges said of the artwork: “This is so bright, vivid and colourful. The newspaper cuttings are taken from stories about Brexit, making the piece so topical and it represents all of the reports about diversity that emerged during the debate. There is a great deal of skill and planning, a strong idea with lots of detail.”
Chris Keates, General Secretary of the NASUWT, said: “Congratulations to Aishling, who clearly worked very hard to achieve this success.
“Every entry was highly creative and clever in its interpretation of the messaging behind the competition, so the judges had great difficulty in choosing the winners.”
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