Emilia, age 10, from Cradley CofE Primary School in Halesowen has won a NATRE (National Association of Teachers of Religious Education) competition for her artwork celebrating diversity.
The ‘Spirited Arts’ Competition runs each year with pupils submitting artwork for a number of different categories. Emilia’s entry was a winner in the category ‘We have far more in Common - 2023’ where pupils were challenged to create a work of art that shows what unites us, brings us together, joins humans as one people and expresses our harmony.
Emilia’s piece was entitled ‘The Golden Rule’. She said:
“In my art I wanted to show that we are all linked by the golden rule – treat others as you want to be treated, love your neighbour as yourself. I used gold to show the golden rule is something we all have in common. The background show lots of different people from diverse backgrounds – not everyone look and acts the same. The hands holding the heart are different skin colours – we are all able to show love. I drew the earth to show that no matter who you are or where you are from or who you worship, God loves you and we should love each other. I tried to choose images which show that all religions and cultures are important.”
NATRE receives around 3,000 entries to its competition each year from pupils aged between 3 and 19. Each school can submit up to 10 entries. Hundreds of UK schools get involved, and there are also entries from as far afield as Hong Kong, Australia, Thailand and Bahrain. Entries can be in a wide range of different art forms including, poetry, photography, dance, music drama and sculpture as well as more traditional art projects (painting, drawing, sketching, etc). Five prizes are awarded for each theme with each pupil receiving a £20 Amazon voucher.
