The competition

This competition aims to sharpen critical appreciation of our built environment and Bath Spa University’s Head of Teacher Education, Pat Black, has designed competition activities appropriate to each age group.

PLEASE NOTE: Children entering the competition need to be UK residents.

  • 5-8 years: Show your artistic skills and creativity in the form of 3D models, drawings, and any other formats you can think of! The important thing is that you really think about your surroundings and how you can make them better. Download your activity design brief here.
  • 9-12 years: Explore and creatively re-make the world around you! This is an opportunity to re-imagine your local community and use your imagination to design changes to your environment to make a better place to live in. Download your activity design brief here.
  • 13-16 year: A category for aspiring designers and those with unlimited imagination and critical eye for detail! Imagine yourself as an architect, an urban designer or a civil engineer exploring your built environment – you can inspire and make a difference! Download your activity design brief here.

Deadline/Duration of competition

The deadline for submissions for all categories is Saturday, 30 May 2020.

How to enter the competition

This competition is for children who are resident in the UK only ,and aged 5-16 years at the time of the competition.

All submissions need to be sent to us by an adult, who is in a position to approve the entry and agree to the competition rules on behalf of the entrant. The adult could be the child’s parent, guardian or teacher. The adult must provide their own contact details (not the child’s) and a google account is required (free).

***COMPETITION is now Closed***

Judging criteria

Entries will be assessed by a high profile panel, comprising the esteemed design critic Stephen Bayley, the famous architect Sir Terry Farrell CBE, the award-winning exhibition designer Dinah Casson CBE , and Professor Kyriaki Anagnostopoulou, Head of the School of Education at Bath Spa University.

Judges will be looking specifically for three things:

  • Creativity – the more creative the better!
  • Critical engagement with your built environment (buildings, landmarks, streets, pedestrian crossings, etc) – we are looking for thoughtful submissions, that demonstrate that you have reflected on your surroundings and have really thought about how the built environment around you might be enhanced.
  • Imaginative design solutions that solve a problem or improve your surroundings – set your imagination free! Take creative risks and tell us, through your submission, how you would re-make the world around you into a better place to live, work and thrive.

Prizes

In each of the three age group categories (5-8 years, 9-12 years and 13-16 years) there will be:

  • a first prize of £600
  • a second prize of £300
  • a third prize of £100

A bonus of £150 will be awarded to the overall best entry.

All prize winners will receive a certificate recording their success. Also, non-prize winning entrants whose work is selected for commendation by the judges will receive a certificate of commendation. All winning and commended entries will be published in the virtual ‘Gallery‘ section of this website.

Terms and conditions

  1. The competition is open to all children resident in the UK aged 5-16 on the date of the competition deadline (30 May 2020). Proof of age will be required if a submission is selected for a prize.
  2. The competition is free to enter.
  3. The deadline for entries is Saturday 30  May 2020. We regret that entries received after that date cannot be considered.
  4. All entries must be an original design/artwork created by the child participant.
  5. All entries must be submitted, on behalf of the child, by an adult who is in a position to agree to the competition rules. The adult may be the child’s parent, guardian, carer or teacher.
  6. We can accept only one entry per child. However, adults may make submissions on behalf of more than one child.
  7. Entries must be submitted by completing a digital form, accepting the terms and conditions and uploading the design/artwork. You will need to be signed into your Google account before you can upload any files. If you do not have a Google account, they are free to set up and only takes a few minutes. When you are ready to send us your submission click on the ‘Submit your entry now’ link.
  8. The organisers take no responsibility for entries that are not received by the closing date due to technical or other problems.
  9. Entries are accepted on the understanding that the organisers may: a) publish them in whole or part in print and digital media, and b) retain them in archives or use them for research purposes. Authorship will be acknowledged wherever entries are quoted or published but no personal data other than the entrant’s name and age will be published. Please do not include images of children in entries unless you are happy for these to be published.  
  10. The organisers of the competition reserve the right to extend the original submission deadline (30th May 2020) in order to ensure a sufficient number of entries per category. In case of an extension, notification of prize winners will happen at a later date, but within the three weeks following the new deadline.  
  11. The judges’ decisions are final.
  12. Winners and commended entrants agree to participate in reasonable publicity and agree to publication of their names and entries by the Royal Fine Art Commission Trust and/or Bath Spa University.
  13. Prizes will be paid by bank transfer. Winners will be asked to nominate a receiving account.