This year’s CREATE! Art for Autism competition has been launched and is seeking entries from children and young people with an autistic spectrum condition (ASC) or Asperger’s syndrome.
CREATE! Art for Autism is a national art competition that celebrates the often overlooked creativity of people with an ASC, and educates the wider public on their talent, dispelling several myths on autism.
The competition is open to children and young people aged 11-25 to show their creativity across five categories: 2D art, 3D art, digital photography, digital animation and poetry, with prizes for the individual winners and their schools.
Among the judges is actress, author and renowned cake maker Jane Asher, who said: “CREATE is a fantastic initiative that represents a wonderful attitude and enlightened way of dealing with autism.”
The competition, now in its third year, is the brainchild of Wales-based Ludlow Orbis Group, which operates a number of specialist residential schools and colleges in Wales for those with an ASC and Asperger’s syndrome. Ludlow Orbis Group’s director of education, Darren Jackson, said: “CREATE! Art for Autism has been a fantastic success since its inception, and completely dispels the myth that people with autism cannot be creative.
“It gives the youngsters a way to really express themselves, to communicate in ways they find easier than many of us, and to get a great sense of achievement.
“We’ve seen some exceptional creativity in the initial years of the competition, with work that truly inspires, and we hope to repeat that this year, opening up to a wider audience across the UK, and really showing the full potential of young people with ASC.”
For more information go to: www.createartforautism.co.uk
