CISC Christmas Card Competition 2019

Thank you to all who entered the 2019 Christmas Card Competition which this year was on the theme of Light and Peace. We had almost 80 entries which was absolutely wonderful and it made my job very difficult! What I most enjoyed was the range of media employed and how the theme was interpreted in a variety of ways with traditional interpretations sitting alongside more contemporary ones.

And so to the results:

Junior Category

Winner: Alice Green, St Edward’s, Cheltenham

Runner-up: Matilda Hobson, Crackley Hall

Highly Commended: Emilio, St Vincent’s, Liverpool

The striking visual imagery of Alice’s design particularly stood out for me and I loved the juxtaposition of the dark framing with the candle and dove motif. I thought it made for a beautiful card. Matilda (Runner Up) and Emilio (Highly Commended) also drew upon bold images in their interpretations of ‘Light and Peace’ and, again, it was the powerful images they drew upon which made them stand out for me.

Senior Category

Winner: Catherine Zhou, St Mary’s, Cambridge

Runner-up: Renee Pinket, Leweston

Highly Commended: Lydia Bellamy, Ratcliffe College

Catherine’s winter scene with a flock of birds flying over was just captivating with the multi-coloured sky contrasting with the more monochrome foreground to create a beautiful scene. Whilst not a religious interpretation, it is a spiritual evocation of light and peace. Renee (Runner Up) depicted a beautifully simple window scene, inviting the stranger in to celebrate, whilst Lydia’s colourful, light-filled Christmas tree in its dark forest (Highly Commended) brought the contrasts of the Christmas season to life.

Congratulations to all our winners and please pass on my thanks to your Art teachers and pupils for such a wonderful selection of entries: it really was an absolute pleasure and privilege to see them all.