The competition encourages pupils from primary, special and secondary schools to create pieces of writing, poetry, art, photography to deliver messages of equality and cultural diversity.
The popular competition is run by the NASUWT and is supported by a range of organisations, including the Anne Frank Trust UK and SecEd.
The competition is a great opportunity to discuss and explore diversity and community cohesion with students, using art and creative writing. It has been running now for more than 10 years and during this time students have been creative in the media they have used – including poems, stories, digital artwork, photography and collages.
Teachers have incorporated the competition into lessons across the curriculum, including history, humanities, literacy, art and citizenship, as well as school projects.
For 2017, entries should once again reflect and explore the themes of cultural diversity, race, equality and identity. Entries should reflect the aims of promoting cultural diversity and equality and tackling racism in schools.
Prizes will be awarded to the best entries from across England, Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland with categories for primary (up to age 11), secondary (up to age 16) and Special (designated special schools or units).
Once again this year, there will also be a separate category for the Anne Frank Poetry Award for poems inspired by the life and writing of Anne Frank. This is run in conjunction with the Anne Frank Trust UK.
Winners of the Arts and Minds 2016 Awards included a group of year 8 pupils from Ercall Wood Technology College in Telford, who took the overall award for their joint artwork Faces of the World. The piece shows a series of individual faces made to look like they are part of a film strip (pictured above).
Television presenter Gok Wan, who judged the finals last year, said of the winning entry: “I love the way the pictures have become film strips. It’s clever, it’s beautiful and it’s elegant. You instantly know and identify with it.
“Every single one of these images has been done differently but they all talk to each other, they all marry. The construction of the face, the light and shade with the colouring, it is just beautiful. If you look at every one of these faces you are told a story.”
And last year’s Anne Frank Poetry Award was won by Rebecca Saunders, a year 8 pupil at St Bede’s Catholic Academy, for her piece The Guilty One.
Rebecca’s poem explored the Holocaust from the point of view of a reluctant Nazi soldier. The poem also discusses the importance of individual actions within the horrific events of the Holocaust.
Robert Posner, chief executive of the Anne Frank Trust UK, said: “Rebecca’s outstanding poem explores the complexity of the Holocaust in a distinctive way, using the point of view of a reluctant Nazi soldier.
“The poem discusses the importance of individual actions, reminding us all of the impact we can have if we stand up and challenge all forms of prejudice and discrimination, rather than being a bystander, like the ‘The Guilty One’ in her poem.”
Celebrating diversity: Other winners at the 2016 Arts and Minds Awards included Rebecca Saunders from St Bede’s Catholic Academy who won the Anne Frank Poetry Award for her piece The Guilty One (Image: Brendan Kelly/Mousetrap Media)
This year, after the initial judging, Gok Wan will once again be choosing the overall winners. The finalists will then be invited to attend a prestigious awards ceremony in central London, to be held during Black History Month in October.
Prizes in the competition include up to £1,000 for each school and vouchers worth up to £100 for individual pupils. There will also be tickets for a popular London tourist attraction that students can use before the finals ceremony.
For the Anne Frank Poetry Award, a bronze bust of Anne Frank will be awarded to the pupil’s school for one year and the pupil will receive a prize of books and vouchers.
- The deadline for entries to this year’s competition is July 14 and the final ceremony is due to take place on October 11. For competition guidelines and to download an entry form, go to www.nasuwt.org.uk/artsandminds
- For more details on the Anne Frank Poetry Award, visit www.annefrank.org.uk