Anti-Bullying Week 2022 Creative Arts Competition

We’re delighted to have the return of our fabulous Creative Arts Competition this year as part of Anti-Bullying Week 2022 and can’t wait to receive your amazing entries.

Entries open on Monday 14th November 2022.

Entries close at 4pm on Monday 23rd January 2023.

Theme & Manifesto

Anti-Bullying Week 2022 will take place from Monday 14th November - Friday 18th November 2022. The theme of Anti-Bullying Week 2022 is ‘Reach Out’.

Reading our manifesto for change will help you to think about your work and what we’re looking for in the winning entries!

Bullying affects millions of lives and can leave us feeling hopeless. But it doesn’t have to be this way. If we challenge it, we can change it. And it starts by reaching out.

Whether it’s in school, at home, in the community or online, let’s reach out and show each other the support we need. Reach out to someone you trust if you need to talk. Reach out to someone you know is being bullied. Reach out and consider a new approach.

And it doesn’t stop with young people. From teachers to parents and influencers to politicians, we all have a responsibility to help each other reach out. Together, let’s be the change we want to see. Reflect on our own behaviour, set positive examples and create kinder communities.

It takes courage, but it can change lives.

So, this Anti-Bullying Week, let’s come together and reach out to stop bullying.

Entry Criteria:

  1. Entry is open to children and young people in Northern Ireland up to the age of 25 years old
  2. All entries must be submitted through a school, college, youth group or other service/support organisation attended by the child/young person
  3. All entries must be the child or young person’s original work and must not be copied from any other source. This is particularly important in the art and video categories as submissions cannot contain any characters you have not created yourself.
  4. All entries must reflect the ‘Reach Out’ theme and manifesto. We welcome positive messages as well as work which reflects the challenges of bullying experiences and shared efforts to reduce bullying
  5. All entries must be accompanied by a fully completed entry form which acts as the consent/assent of the child or young person for their work to be shared
  6. All entries must adhere to the guidance/limits set out for each creative category, e.g. word limits; size of artwork; length of video submissions; titles for essays
  7. There is no limit to the number of entries each child, young person, school or other group can submit
  8. Entries can be submitted on behalf of individual children and young people or groups* of children and young people who have worked together to create their submission. *Please note that entry forms must be returned for children and young people who feature in any video submissions.

Creative Categories

All entries should be submitted with one of the following titles:

  1. Reach Out
  2. Be the Change
  3. Break the Cycle

Submissions can be made in any of the following media:

  1. Written Word
  • Essay/short story (500 word limit)
  • Poem/spoken word (max 40 lines on 1 A4 page)
  • Script for up to 60 second drama/film/story board
  1. Visual Art
  • Drawing/painting/poster/collage (no smaller than A4; no larger than A2)
  • Sculpture/3D models (no larger than 60 cm in height, depth or width)
  • Photography
  • Textiles/Printmaking
  1. Video*
  • Up to 60 second short film (documentary; vlog)
  • Up to 60 second performance of original work (drama; dance; song; spoken word)

Age Categories

There are four age categories* for the competition, based on the school year/age group of the child or young person during ABW22, i.e. on 16 November 2022:

  • Pre-school year – Primary 3
  • Primary 4 – 7
  • Year 8 – 10
  • Year 11 and over

*While the age categories are based on school year groups, entries can be submitted through any organisation working with children and young people.

Our fifth category is:

  • Special Merit

Children and young people with special educational needs can choose to have their entry considered for this category in addition to their year group/age category.

What Happens to Your Entry?

Entries which reflect the theme of ‘Reach Out’ will be shortlisted for judging.

Shortlisted entries will be judged by a panel, including members of NIABF and young people from our Young Advisors group.

Prizes will be awarded to outstanding entries across the creative, age and special merit categories.

Winners will be announced during Anti-Bullying Week and a slideshow presentation will be shared with the winner’s schools/youth group.

All entries may be used for future NIABF anti-bullying campaigns and show reels.

Due to the volume of entries we receive, NIABF cannot return any of the work.

How to Enter

All entries must be submitted online following the guidelines below.

ENTERING ONLINE

Enter online here

  • For the written word category please attach or scan the original works making sure all text is visible – be careful of double-sided works!
  • For the photography section of the visual arts category, please attach or scan the original works
  • For all other visual submissions, e.g. sculptures; posters, please attach a maximum of 3 photographs which clearly show the work created
  • For the video category, please attach video file or link where the video can be viewed.

If you have any queries which aren’t answered by the information provided here, or have an issue with uploading your entries, please contact us at info@niabf.org.uk

We look forward to hearing from you and seeing your work!

NIABF Team