Uncovering new talent and creativity

Displaying amazing talent and original thinking, this year saw pupils from 18 international schools and colleges participate in SUR in English’s annual schoolwork showcase, an event which shines a light on the next generation of artists, writers and poets.

Schools from across southern Spain submitted entries for three separate categories: art, short stories and poetry. Primary and secondary students’ work were assessed separately by the panel.

Selected artwork

Schoolwork showcase: primary artwork

Schoolwork showcase: secondary artwork

The judges were Liz Parry, former SUR in English editor; Georgina Oliver, journalist and art critic who examined the artwork category; novelist Joan Fallon who evaluated the short stories and singer-songwriter and SUR in English columnist Peter Edgerton who commented on the poems.

The children were given the instruction to include the words “courage” and “flower” in their poems while the short stories were focused on the theme of “looking up.” The openness of these prompts allowed a wide variety of interpretations and encouraged unique and engaging submissions. The artists were given complete freedom with their entries and schools submitted some imaginative creations.

All the judges were extremely impressed by the artistic flair and aptitude on display. Joan Fallon was astonished by the “amazingly high standard of entries this year which made selecting a winner a particularly difficult task. All the children and their teachers deserve to be congratulated on the entries. It is so encouraging to see so much young, new talent.”