Eight Clare students have won top prizes in this year’s 68th Texaco Children’s Art Competition.
In the 7-8 years age category, Aidan Hehir, (7), a pupil at Ennis Art School, won first prize for his artwork entitled ‘Gaming’. His work is described by Final Adjudicator, Professor Gary Granville as “a vibrant painting, giving us a window into the lives of young people in 2022”.
In addition, seven Clare winners each won Special Merit Awards for artworks that Professor Granville said, “displayed high levels of skill and creativity.”
They were Mary Bourke (13), from St. Flannan’s College, Ennis; and Brian Coughlan (17), Eilish Strand (15), Adam Coote (14), Deria Kufa (13), Ciara Dee (10) and Mahia Rahyman (16), all pupils at Ennis Art School. No stranger to the Competition, Mahia won a Special Merit Award last year, and in 2019
The Texaco Children’s Art Competition is popularly regarded as the longest-running sponsorship in the history of arts sponsoring in Ireland, with an unbroken history that dates back to the very first Competition held in 1955. This year, as has been the case throughout its life, it has been a platform on which young artists from Clare and counties throughout Ireland have had their talents recognised and their creativity commended.
From 31st May to 30th June, Belfast’s Royal Ulster Academy of Arts is hosting an exhibition of the top 126 winning paintings in this year’s Competition. Admission is free and the Academy is open on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 9am-5pm.