Schools still have time to enter the 10th annual Arts and Minds Awards with the deadline little more than a week away.
The arts and creative writing challenge helps UK schools and students to celebrate and promote cultural diversity.
Run by the NASUWT with support from SecEd and our sister title Primary Teacher Update, the competition encourages students to use artwork and creative writing to explore what diversity, equality and identity mean to them and their school, families and communities.
Entries should promote cultural diversity, equality and challenge racism in schools. This year, television presenter Gok Wan will once again be picking the winners.
Awards are split across primary, secondary (up to age 16) and special schools with categories for both art and creative writing,
The competition also includes the Anne Frank Poetry Award, a separate category run in conjunction the Anne Frank Trust UK which recognises poetry entries inspired by the life and writing of Anne Frank.
Among the 12 finalists in the 2012 competition, eight entries were from secondary students, including S2 pupil Nicole Davidson from Greenwood Academy in North Ayrshire, who won the Anne Frank Poetry Award for her piece Set Free (see below).
Other winning entries included The Dress of Many Cultures which had been created by year 7 to 9 students from Bishop Milner Catholic School in the West Midlands.
Other supporters include Love Music Hate Racism, VSO and Think Global. Winning schools will receive £350 with the overall winner getting £1,000. There are also gift vouchers of up to £100 for winning pupils.
The entry deadline is July 1 and the ceremony is on October 8. For the main competition, visit www.nasuwt.org.uk/artsandminds, and for the Anne Frank Poetry Award, see www.annefrank.org.uk
CAPTION: Arts and Minds: (from top) Finalists Helena Wright, Jhanelle White and Simran Kaur with The Dress of Many Cultures; Gok Wan with last year’s overall winning entry We Are All Equal; Anne Frank Poetry winner Nicole Davidson with Gillian Walnes MBE, executive director of Anne Frank Trust, and the bronze bust of Anne Frank.Set Free, By Nicole Davidson
I am proud to be me But sadly now my Religion is all people can see All because of the blinding hatred Cast by the enemyHis is like a shadow Hiding in the dark His faults Are unseenHidden beneath the twisted smile Torturing Jews all the while My days of life could be ticking awayI could die tomorrow Or even today! Death is the only way out of this Hell When will it end? No-one can tell My star has marked my fate All I can do now...
Is wait
One day the Nazis shall pay for their crimes But I am finally free! Free to run, free to playNo more suffering filling up my day Hitler will die along with his hate May the Demons of HellDecide his fate.