07 Aug 07

Young artists are being given the opportunity to exhibit their work at one of Britain's best-known museums or even on the back of buses, in a competition launched by Oxford University's Ashmolean Museum. The competition invites children between the ages of four and 16 to get creative with paint and imagine what the new Ashmolean will look like once the redevelopment is complete in 2009.

The competition called Picturing the New Ashmolean is looking for a variety of themes: visitors enjoying the new galleries; their favourite object in the Museum; or a painting of the builders at work on the current re-development. Children's illustrator Korky Paul, known for his drawings in the Winnie the Witch series, will be on hand at the Ashmolean to provide the young artists with some inspiration on the 27 October.

Winners will be able to see their work displayed on the outside of two Oxford Park and Ride buses and inside other buses throughout 2008. The winning pictures will also be on display in the Ashmolean Café next year (January to March).

Planned activities to accompany the competition include hard-hat tours of the new development site between 1.30pm-2.30pm on Wednesdays 12, 19 and 26 September. Visitors are advised to book these tours in advance. The Ashmolean will also have an activity trolley, so the young artists are provided with art materials during their visit to the museum.

The competition is free to enter and the closing date is 31 October 2007 with an awards ceremony in January 2008. Entries will be divided into the following age groups: 4-7, 8-11 and 12-16 with three winners from each category. As well as the chance to have their work showcased, the winning artists will receive prizes including laptop computers, Korky Paul children's books, and gifts from the Ashmolean shop.

The event is sponsored by the Oxford Bus Company, HBG UK Ltd (the lead contractor in the re-development) and Oxford University Press.

Commenting on the competition, Director of the Ashmolean Dr Christopher Brown said: 'We are extremely grateful to all the sponsors of this competition. With their help we can give young people from Oxfordshire and the surrounding counties, the opportunity to create and publicly exhibit their vision of the new Ashmolean.'