Our pick of the best UK Art Competitions for kids and young people in 2021. Open to children of all ages up to seventeen…
Most of our UK Art Competitions are for artists eighteen and over so I’m excited to start an alternative version for children and youths. Get in touch if you know of any more UK art contests for kids and I’ll add the best ones here.
Seeing my childhood cartoon of Goofy cracking a joke win Mickey Mouse comic’s weekly competition was about as big a thrill as a creative kid could get. I hope this list leads to similar creative landmarks, good luck everyone!
See your painting on a set of quality cards as The Animal Sanctuary in Wilmslow invite you to paint your pet and feature in the exhibition.
Close: | 28th February 2021 enter now! |
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Rules: | Entry tickets are £3 for each entrant. All entries must be posted to The Animal Sanctuary before 28th Feb. |
Ages: | 6 and under, 7-11, 12-16, 17 and over |
Enter: | heswilmslow.co.uk |
Currys PC World team up with Dick & Dom for a kids art competition with £10,000 of prizes to design a tech-robot of your dreams.
Close: | 8th March 2021 enter now! |
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Rules: | Get creative and design your dream tech robot to keep you entertained during lockdown! Include its name, what it does and how it will keep you entertained. It doesn’t matter what resources you have; paper, pens, paint, glue, cardboard boxes or even toilet rolls, put it all together and create your robot. Watch Dick & Dom explain. |
Ages: | Children 13 years and younger (UK residents) |
Enter: | currys.co.uk/DotheRobot |
Your Bottle Moment is the one thing you’d most like to do again when everything is better and back to normal. See it drawn by a professional cartoonist.
Close: | 21st March 2021 enter now! |
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Rules: | Download and print out the Bottle Moments template from the selection of templates. Draw what you’re dreaming of doing once the pandemic is over. Adults can post it to Twitter or Instagram using #bottlemoments hashtag. |
Ages: | Under 5s, 6 – 8 years, 9 – 11 years, 12 – 16 years (UK residents) |
Enter: | bottlemoments.com |
Enter for your chance to win a VIP family trip to London with free hotel, transport, attractions & lunch from the London Tourism Cooperative.
Close: | 31st March 2021 enter now! |
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Rules: | Create a piece of art about all things British. There are two categories: ‘Real Life’ – use paints, pencils or pastels. And ‘Go Wild’ – use textiles, sculpture or recycled materials, anything goes! |
Ages: | 0-6, 7-11, 12-19 (Uk & Ireland residents) |
Enter: | facebook.com/TourismCoOp |
The future belongs to you. What do you want it to look like? Show your vision to world leaders at the 2021 Climate Change Conference.
Close: | 5th April 2021 enter now! |
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Rules: | Download the Creative Earth template, print the circle out and draw directly onto it (or edit on your computer). If you don’t have a printer you can draw a circle onto an A4 piece of paper instead. All artwork must fit within the circle and include the colour green. Create your vision of our future planet filled with what you want and free from what you don’t want. |
Ages: | 8 years and under, 9-12 years, 13-16 years (living in the UK) |
Enter: | together-for-our-planet.ukcop26.org |
Create a new name and character for Lidl’s fun size pears and have your design appear in stores across the country.
Close: | 11th April 2021 enter now! |
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Rules: | Draw of a character, and create a character name for Lidl’s Fun Size pears. The name should include the word ‘pear’, but the rest is up to your imagination. |
Ages: | 5-12 years old |
Enter: | lidl.co.uk/funsizecomp |
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Create an artwork based on a feature on the historic Trafalgar Way route (Falmouth to London) prizes in three age categories: 7-11, 12-16 and 17-adult.
Close: | 16th April 2021 enter now! |
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Rules: | Take a stunning photograph or create a two-dimensional artwork (including digital art) of a scene along The Trafalgar Way (size range: A6 to A1) |
Ages: | 7-11, 12-16, 17 to adult |
Enter: | thetrafalgarway.org |
A free, open submission exhibition from the Royal Academy for young artists aged 5 – 19 years studying in the UK and British schools overseas.
Close: | 26th April 2021 enter now! |
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Rules: | First, a teacher needs to register your school. Once the school is registered, your artworks can be submitted. If you’re 12 or under, a teacher or parent/guardian will need to enter for you; if you’re 13 or over you can submit artworks yourself. Each student can submit up to three artworks of any type and there is no theme. When you enter, we’ll ask for images of your artwork plus some information about the piece such as title, size, and a little text about the artwork and why you made it. |
Ages: | Students aged 5-19 studying in the UK or attending a British school overseas |
Enter: | royalacademy.org.uk |
Art Competition for disabled children 7-21 years old. Prizes include up to £600 for entrants and £3,000 for their school/college Art Department.
Close: | 30th April 2021 enter now! |
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To enter: | All entrants for the competition must have a disability of some kind. The subject for all categories are: CORONA, MY HAPPY PLACE, COMMUNITY, HOW THE WORLD SEES ME or PLASTIC. Groups: 2D Art/Painter, Photographer, 3D Sculpture, Digital Art, Performing Arts |
Ages: | Child 7–15, Youth 16–21 years old |
Enter: | uniqueartawards.uk |
Ready to be a part of an exciting space mission? ESA and Paxi are calling on space-inspired kids to help launch ESA’s exciting new mission to Jupiter!
Close: | 1st June 2021 enter now! |
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Rules: | Help the European Space Agency create an illustration to decorate the huge Ariane V rocket that will launch the spacecraft on its long journey towards planet Jupiter. Submit a drawing inspired by the JUICE mission and by planet Jupiter and its gigantic moons. |
Ages: | Kids up to 12 years old (living in Europe) |
Enter: | esa.int |
The 10th annual (US based) competition invites 11-18 year olds from around the world to submit a creative response on the theme ‘Water Rising’.
Close: | 14th June 2021 enter now! |
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To enter: | The 2021 Ocean Awareness Contest theme WATER RISING challenges students to explore and understand their connection to water, and to creatively communicate the need to protect this vital resource and life-sustaining relationship. What are the stories we need to tell about water to sustain and conserve it for current and future generations of life on Earth? Submissions are accepted in: Visual Art, Creative Writing. Film, Interactive & Multimedia, Performing Arts: Music & Dance, Poetry & Spoken Word. |
Ages: | Junior 11-14, Senior 15–18 years old |
Enter: | bowseat.org |
Create a piece of art inspired by nature and let your imagination run WILD in this kids art competition from the RSPB and the Cameron Bespolka Trust.
Close: | August 2021 awaiting entry |
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Rules: | Create a piece of art inspired by nature, 2021 themes to be announced. |
Ages: | Under 8s, 8-12, and 13-18. |
Enter: | rspb.org.uk |
Global competition that invites children under the age of 15 to let their imaginations run wild by designing cars of the future.
Close: | January 2022 awaiting entry |
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Rules: | Design a car of the future. |
Ages: | Children under the age of 15 |
Enter: | toyota.co.uk/dreamcar-2021 |
The RHS Photographic Competition inspires young and old alike to get outdoors and record how enriching and inspiring gardens and plants can be.
Close: | February 2022 awaiting entry |
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Rules: | Photographs depicting something plant, garden or wildlife related that interests you |
Ages: | 10 and under, 11-17 years old, 18+ in adults category |
Enter: | rhs.org.uk |
Annual group art contest for children 16 and under encouraging collaboration and creativity around wildlife and the environment.
Close: | February 2022 awaiting entry |
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Rules: | 2021’s theme was “Healing Nature – A Planet on the Edge” Each group’s entry should fill a wall space 180cm x 180cm with a table 180cm x 60cm in front. Be as creative as you can, using anything from paint, sculpture or sewing to recycled art, to create your own mini-exhibition! Make sure that you use some form of recycled materials in the final piece. 2019’s winners. |
Ages: | 16 and under. The competition is group entry: art groups, classes, year groups, groups of friends or a whole school! (16-22 year olds can enter the Human Impact category of Wildlife Artist of the Year). |
Enter: | davidshepherd.org |
The End!
That’s it for now but stay tuned for further kids art competitions in 2021 and beyond as more prizes and contests are announced.