The GCA’s Sharon Little took part in the launch of Songs of Praise’s UK-wide competition, which calls on all budding artists to dig out their paintbrushes, to help raise money for BBC Children in Need. The competition will give amateur artists the opportunity to have their artwork featured on a Christmas card which will be sold during the festive period to raise money for the Charity.
Sharon talked about the very first Christmas card commissioned by Henry Cole in 1843. See a clip of the launch on Songs of Praise here
Welcoming entries from people of all ages and abilities, the public are being encouraged to artistically reflect what Christmas means to them. Entries will be judged on their originality, creativity, public appeal and their ability to capture the spirit of Christmas.
A total of ten winners will be selected by a small judging panel, and their artwork will be used to create a card for the Songs of Praise Christmas Card pack. The judges, to be announced in due course, will include an expert from the arts world and a presenter from Songs of Praise.
This will be the first time that Songs of Praise has launched a competition to raise money for the charity and are asking the public to use their imagination and creativity to capture what Christmas means to them in a piece of artwork.
Songs of Praise presenter Josie d’Arby said: “This is a really exciting opportunity for people of all ages to pick up a paint brush and express what Christmas means to them. The prize is amazing – having your image seen on Christmas cards around the country and all whilst raising money for Children in Need. For any budding artist or hobbyist it doesn’t get better than that. Go on unleash your creativity!’
Director of Editorial at BBC Children in Need, Gareth Hydes said: “It’s great to be working with Songs of Praise on the Christmas card competition. We are thrilled that the proceeds from these cards will go to BBC Children in Need and will make a meaningful difference to the lives of disadvantaged children and young people in communities across the UK.”
As well as the competition, BBC Children in Need will be sharing ‘how-to’ films on their social media sites over the course of the competition to share ideas, inspiration and creative ways to get arty. https://www.facebook.com/bbcchildreninneed/
Entries are required to be two dimensional and designed on 140mm x 140mm sized card or paper. The competition is open to beginners and amateur artists, professional artists may not enter. Entries should be submitted by post to Songs of Praise Christmas Card Competition, 1st Floor BBC Dock House, Media City, Salford, M50 2LH.
The competition is now open and will run for five weeks; until 17:00 Monday 23rd May with entry forms and full terms and conditions available on the Songs of Praise website. The winning designs will be announced during Songs of Praise on Sunday 12th June 2016.
Pam Rhodes and Sharon Little launching the competition on Songs of Praise, 17 April 2016.