We are very excited to announce the winners of the 2020 and 2021 Big Draw Festival Awards! Every year, The Big Draw Festival Awards celebrate drawing and creativity without borders. 7 Prizes are awarded to organisations, individuals and schools worldwide who demonstrate the vital role of drawing as a tool for communication, innovation and inclusivity as part of The World's Biggest Drawing Festival.
A big thank you to our fabulous judges Kate Mason and Jane Barnes from The Big Draw and wonderful guest judges Curtis Holder, Onyinye Iwu, Russell Walker and Liz Atkin
We'd also like to thank the Alan Davidson Foundation who generously supported 7 of our awards across 2020 and 2021
Watch the full announcement video below and keep scrolling to find out all about our winners!
Letter from the Director
The announcement for our Big Draw Festival winners for 2020 and 2021, has been delayed due to the fallout from the Covid pandemic. During that time there have been many changes in our lives as we chartered the unknown stormy seas of Covid. Familiar face to face events stopped abruptly and screens became a vital link to the outside world.
One of the changes at The Big Draw has been the departure of the Director Kate Mason, who worked tirelessly developing The Big Draw into the dynamic organisation it is today, recognised worldwide for its innovation in drawing. In August 2022, I was appointed Executive Director of The Big Draw and one of my tasks has been to facilitate the completion of the 2020 and 2021 Big Draw Festival Awards. This has been a delightful task, and a privilege to see so much talent in the submissions.
It therefore gives me great pleasure to announce the winners for both the 2020 and 2022 Big Draw Festival Awards,
Thank you for taking time to create and submit work, during an extremely difficult time, we really appreciate it. I look forward to meeting all the winners for 2022 Big Draw Festival awards, in the face-to-face Big Draw Festival Awards event next year.
Jane Barnes
Primary School Award 2020: St George's CofE Primary, Worcester
Their array of exciting events included Twig weaving, den making, drawing games, workshops and a celebratory tea party!
https://www.stgeorgesceprimary.org.uk
Primary School Award 2021: Braeburn Garden Estate School, Kenya
Pupils took part in a fantastic selection of activities which culminated in a huge mural of work. The main aim of the work was to showcase the reuse culture of Kenya and the values of the school.
https://gardenestate.braeburn.com
Secondary School Award 2020: Tapton School, Sheffield
Students worked collaboratively to produce an illustration installation about climate change from their perspective, taking inspiration from Van Gogh, #KidLitForClimate and Greta Thunburg
https://www.taptonschool.co.uk
Secondary School Award 2021: Kingsdale Foundation School
The focus of Kingsdale Foundation School’s Make The Change work was upcycling materials and the environmental impact that waste and fast fashion have on our planet. They worked with old school uniforms as a canvas, to express their message through drawing, painting, printing, fusing and sewing
https://kingsdalefoundationschool.org.uk
Community, Participatory and Libraries Award 2020: Inspire Libraries, Nottinghamshire
Inspire partnered with Miner2Major, a landscape partnership scheme which encourages people to get involved with projects aimed at celebrating and conserving Nottinghamshire’s Heritage. Participants designed and painted silk bunting flags which were shown in a touring exhibition.
https://www.inspireculture.org.uk
Community, Participatory and Libraries Award 2020: Dr Anamica Bhattachayra
For her events, Anamica chose to celebrate nature through art through workshops, including watercolour and acrylic painting, upcycling and creating a mini terrarium forest!
https://www.instagram.com/anamica_b/
Community, Participatory and Libraries Award 2021: Inspire Libraries, Nottinghamshire
In another impressing offering, in 2021 Inspire introduced a project called FACES, PLACES at their libraries and across primary schools, which celebrated place and their connection to it by making a mass portrait of Nottinghamshire
https://www.inspireculture.org.uk
Community, Participatory and Libraries Award 2021: Biblioteques Municipals de Reus
Biblioteques Municipals de Reus focused on discovering ways we can live in balance with the world and reconnect with others. The libraries ran 12 events throughout October 2012, including workshops and working with schools to draw the nature around them. If the drawing activities weren’t enough, the libraries also organised a blood donation marathon!
https://biblioteques.reus.cat
Museums and Galleries Award 2020: The Courtauld
The Courtauld hosted a day-long online festival which was made up of 5 workshops, a studio tour and a chance to get up close and personal with images of animals in the Courtauld’s print and drawing collection.
https://courtauld.ac.uk
Museums and Galleries Award 2021: Hauser & Wirth Somerset, Hauser & Wirth Menorca and Chillida Leku
Hauser & Wirth created a drawing resource to use across their various galleries, which invited participants to engage in three activities, which focused on close looking, drawing, using the senses, and designing their own sculpture inspired by Eduardo Chillda.
https://www.hauserwirth.com
Clubs and Societies Award 2020: Arterial Network, The Seychelles
Quotes from Greta Thurnberg were translated into French, Creole and English, and students filled in the letters with portraits and detailed studies of nature
https://www.facebook.com/ArterialNetworkSeychelles
Clubs and Societies Award 2021: Eye to Pencil Studio
The drawing studio run regular courses, talks and workshops with guest speakers who share insights into their drawing practice. In 2021, some of their sessions included Drawing with Light with artist Cathy Lomax, and Drawing Complex Structures with structural engineer Tom Robertshaw
https://www.eyetopencil.art
Guest Panellist's Choice 2020: Aert Elements, Shetland
A fantastic series of 40 free daily drawing prompts which encouraged exploration of the local environment through drawing
Guest Panellist's Choice 2021: Medley
From August - December 2021, Medley ran Birds A-Z - a weekly drawing prompt where participants focused on drawing a different bird for each letter of the alphabet.
https://medley.live
People's Choice Award 2020: 24 Hour Drawing Lab Italy
Their fantastic events included talks with Filippo Sacca,Orio Gelend and Gabriele Luciani
https://www.24hdrawinglab.com
People's Choice Award 2021: Louisa Crispin
For her Big Draw project, Louisa Crispin aimed to draw attention to nature corridors and the plight of insects through art by creating a "Great Big Wildlife Corridor"
https://www.louisacrispinart.co.uk
Thank you so much to everyone who has taken part in The Big Draw Festival and entered the awards! It's been a pleasure to see all your wonderful events - keep drawing!