Nature and the environment are the themes of this year’s annual Inspire 21 competition, aimed at young people right across the Midlands.
It is the sixth year Birmingham Museums Trust has staged a contest inviting under-25s to submit their own art works and creative masterpieces.
Rosie Barker, senior engagement officer at Birmingham Museums Trust, said: “Last year we saw the most amazing artworks created through lockdown from embroidered facemasks, line drawings of iconic Birmingham buildings and topical digital collages.
“This year our competition theme is nature and the environment. The natural world is so important for human wellbeing, but also for the wellbeing of the whole planet. The great thing about art is there is no right or wrong, it inspires us and makes us understand things differently.
“We can’t wait to see everyone’s creations – whether it’s making art as a climate activist, recording the nature around us or even reflecting your personal idea of the present and future of our planet.”
Completely free to enter – and open to anyone aged up to 25 years old – Inspire 21 aims to create a collective picture of our environment, whether it is reflecting our surroundings, capturing the wonder of Mother Nature or raising awareness of the need to look after the planet.
Last year the art competition encouraged artists to think differently about their surroundings while we were all spending more time indoors. The winners included The Greenway sisters – Helen, Cathryn and Sandra – for their textile face coverings.
All entries to Inspire 21 will be added to an online gallery for everyone to see and the winning images will be displayed at Thinktank Birmingham Science Museum, where they’ll be seen by thousands of visitors.
The winning entry in each age group will receive a prize of £50 in art vouchers and a free family membership giving access to all Birmingham Museums’ sites for a year.
Entries must be submitted by July 16. For details on how to enter visit birminghammuseums.org.uk/blog
The Inspire 20 winners and highly commended gallery can be viewed at https://flickr.com/photos/188041016@N02/albums/72157718690724428
