With the longer, brighter days upon us and the school children on Easter break, it’s a good time to get out in nature and to maybe even be inspired by it.
The Irish Wildlife Trust (IWT) has launched the second edition of its children’s art competition, ‘WildArt’.
Ireland’s wildlife within the 5km
The competition aims to “engage children in the wonders of local wildlife – within their lockdown surroundings of course”.
Children up to the age of 18 are invited to enter the competition by creating a drawing, painting, model or collage, on the theme: ‘Irish wildlife within my 5k‘.
There are four age categories with a prize for the winner in each category. The age categories are six and under; seven to 10; 11 to 14; and 15 to 18.
“We were delighted with the engagement we had last year, so we decided to run the competition again,” Fabiola Vieira, IWT administrative assistant said.
This year, even though we are unfortunately in a similar position with regard to the lockdown, we still have a chance to enjoy nature thriving and to encourage more young people to pay attention to their local environment.
“We would like to see how local Irish wildlife is represented in children’s art and that is why we decided on the theme.”
IWT coordinator, Kieran Flood, added that “young people have a great interest in nature”.
‘Art and nature hand-in-hand’
“With the current lockdown, our young people will not be traveling as far to explore wildlife. We hope this art competition will inspire children to explore nature through their imagination and creativity,” he said.
According to the IWT, art and nature have always gone hand in hand.
From early cave drawings to modern fashion styles, nature is a constant source of inspiration.
“It is hoped that this project will inspire young people to learn about Irish wildlife in their area and then create an art piece inspired by that wildlife.”
Further details of the competition can be found on the IWT’s website. The competition is open from now until 5:00pm on April 19.