Art legend Don Conroy has teamed up with Sightsavers Ireland to remind Westmeath primary schools to get painting for the third annual Sightsavers Junior Painter Awards which closes on Wednesday November 23. The competition is designed to help children understand the importance of their own sight and there are fantastic prizes of Art & Hobby gift vouchers for winning students and their schools, art kits for all regional winners, and the chance for their artwork to appear at an awards day in Dublin early next year.
The competition theme My Vision Of The Future is designed to inspire children to look beyond the here and now and think about how they would like the world to be. Parents and children can get involved by asking their school teacher or contacting Sightsavers Ireland on www.sightsavers.ie/juniorpainter or www.facebook.com/SightsaversIreland
Some 80 per cent of worldwide blindness is avoidable and Sightsavers works through local partners in 30 countries in the developing world to eliminate avoidable blindness and promote equality of opportunity for children and adults who are visually impaired. The awards are supported by Art & Hobby and The Irish Times.
There are five categories; Junior and senior infants, 1st and 2nd class, 3rd and 4th class, 5th and 6th class, and special needs. Each region (Leinster, Munster, Connaught/Ulster ) will have a winner in each category and one special needs category winner. The 13 winners will each receive a €100 gift voucher and an art kit from Art & Hobby, have their work displayed at an awards day in Dublin, and have the opportunity to have their work featured in The Irish Times Art in the Classroom supplement. The three national winners will also each receive a €250 Art & Hobby gift voucher and the overall national winner will receive a mega art and crafts hamper from Art & Hobby worth €500 in addition to all the other prizes.
