Bolton students win national art competition

27 Sep 2021 10:34 AM

Year 12 pupils, Muryum Binte Fahad, 16, and Georgia Barnes, 16, of Bolton School have placed first and second respectively in the YPO Art Competition, beating hundreds of entries from across the country. Besides the accolade and personal prizes awarded to each of them, the girls’ success in the competition also brings additional funding to the school’s art department.

Georgia and Muryum with their prizes

YPO is one of the UK’s largest publicly owned buying organisations, which enables the education and public sector to make savings in procurement. This year marked the sixth year of hosting the national art competition, which celebrates the artistic talents of primary and secondary school children.

For the first time, two pupils at the same school, Bolton School Girls’ Division, have taken the two top spots.

Muryum Binte Fahad was selected as the overall winner, across three age categories - Early Years, Primary, and Secondary. Taking the top prize means that £250 in YPO vouchers have been awarded to Bolton School, and Muryum also received a hamper of art supplies for herself. Runner up Georgia Barnes also received an assortment of deluxe art materials.

Martin Armytage, Head of Education at YPO said, “Each year, we really look forward to seeing the range of creative entries from students of all ages and are always so impressed with the talent on offer. We’re delighted for Muryum and Georgia - their artwork is absolutely fantastic. This is also the first time that we’ve had a winner and runner up from the same school - the girls are a credit to them!”

John Newbould, Head of Marketing at Bolton School said “We’re delighted that Muryum and Georgia have placed so highly in YPO’s Art Competition. It’s fantastic that not one, but two of our pupils have been recognised for their creative abilities! We are also very thankful for the £250 gift voucher for our School’s Art Department, and it will be put to good use fostering more pupils’ talents.”

Muryum’s overall winning artwork

Georgia’s artwork, which won her second place in the competition