Donegal girl puts us in the picture to claim junior painter award

A painting titled Draw me in . . . I'm waiting, has won the overall prize at this year's Sightsavers Junior Painter Awards.

The winners of the competition, open to primary school children across the country, were unveiled Tuesday afternoon in The Science Gallery at Trinity College, Dublin.

The theme for the 2018 edition was "Put Us In The Picture", with 12-year-old Patricia Poprawa from Glenswilly National School, Letterkenny, Co Donegal picking up the main prize for her thought-provoking creation.

Ella Taylor (8) from Scoil Mhuire na nGael, Dundalk, Co Louth was second, with her colourful painting, Climate Controller Station Bringing Fairness to all Nations.

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Tobiasz Rogolski (12) from Scoil Mhuire Naofa, Carrigtwohill, Co Cork was awarded third place for, The Horizan Horeyesan.

The judges were disability campaigner Sinéad Burke, Laureate na nÓg and illustrator PJ Lynch, and artist and director of Arts and Disability Ireland Padraig Naughton.

“In the year that Ireland will ratify the UN Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities, it was inspiring to see the appetite that children, teachers and communities have in exploring the nuanced conversation surrounding disability,” said Burke. “I was incredibly impressed by the children’s pairing of artistry and intellect as they approached complex topics including identity, the social model of disability, allyship and othering. However, I was most moved and inspired by how their work was rooted in empathy and that even the youngest of entries were focused on constructive solutions to how we can make the world a fairer and equal place for all.”

The annual competition was devised by Sightsavers – a charity that works in developing countries to prevent blindness, restore sight and advocate for social inclusion and equal rights for people with disabilities – to inspire Irish children to express their artistic talent through painting, while developing an appreciation of the importance and value of their sight and the additional challenges facing those living with disabilities in developing countries. The winners were presented with their awards by Sightsavers CEO Charlie Lamson.

The 22 finalist paintings will be exhibited in the DLR LexIcon (Dún Laoghaire LexIcon Library) throughout the summer. The paintings will also be displayed in Powerscourt Town Centre, Dublin 2 for the month of August.

These are:

1st place: Patricia Poprawa (12) from Glenswilly National School, Co Donegal for 'Draw me in . . . I 'm waiting'.

2nd place: Ella Taylor (8) from Scoil Mhuire na nGael, Bay Estate, Dundalk, Co Louth for 'Climate Controller Station Bringing Fairness to all Nations'.

3rd place: Tobiasz Rogolski (12) from Scoil Mhuire Naofa, Carrigtwohill, Co Cork for 'The Horizan Horeyesan'.

Ciara Doherty

George Downes

Ann Connors

Eryk Puch

Benjamin Franklin

Brooke Doyle

Zuzanna Kaczmarowska

Also

- Caitlin McDaid (8) from St Patrick's Girls National School, Cardonagh, Co Donegal for 'A Rainy Night'.
-  Dominick Keavney (9) from Cloghans Hill National School, Tuam, Co Galway for 'Put Us in the Picture'.
-  Lily Crossan (5) from St Paul's National School, Mountmellick, Co Laois for 'Friends Forever'.
-  Ella Lyons Lenihan (6) from Monaleen National School, Castletroy, Co Limerick for 'The Poor Girl'.
-  Nadia Brown (5) from Claddagh National School, Claddagh, Co Galway for 'A Diamond Eye to the Future'.

The seven highly commended paintings this year are:

- Dylan Williams (8) from Ennis National School, Ennis, Co Clare for 'Put Us in the Picture. Let's Discover the World Together'.
- Scott Lomasney (9) from Scoil Mhuire Naofa, Carrigtwohill, Co Cork for 'How I See the Future'.
- Alice O'Shaughnessy (6) from Scoil Nhuire na Ngael, Dundalk, Co Louth for 'An Edible Land'.
- Katelyn Houston (12) from Scoil an Choimin, Cloghan, Lifford, Co Donegal for 'We Don't Need Sight to See'!
- Aine Sheehan (10) from Dromagh National School, Mallow, Co Cork for 'Even Darkness has Light'.
- Andrew Senior (5) from St Paul's National School, Mountmellick, Co Laois for 'Treasure Your Friends'.
- Chloe Crosby (10) from St Joseph's National School Dundalk, Co Louth for 'Braille'.