Spirited Arts 2027

Different religions offer their followers hope for this world – and the next world. Hope seems to be vital in human life – ‘no hope’ makes it hard to go on. In this theme we invite learners to reflect on the theme of hope, to put their hopes for their own future and the future of the planet into words and pictures. Some hope for peace, or for harmony between different communities. Some hope for a greener planet where humans and animals flourish together. Some hope we can build a world where no child starves. Great work on this theme will use ideas – maybe scriptures – from the heart of different religions or worldviews to explore visions of hope for today and tomorrow.

The Bible is the world’s best selling book. Full of story, poetry, song, vision and history it brims over with imaginative, profound and mysterious ideas and narratives. This theme is wide open – take a Jewish, Christian or non-religious starting point, use a text from the Bible that really moves you, and make art to show why you think the text is powerful. We expect to see work about Abraham, Moses, Esther and Jesus, Mary, Peter and Paul. We hope to see reflections from Psalms, Prophecies and Gospels. We look forward to art that explores God, angels, the people of God, forgiveness, grace and the Earth from its beginnings – to its end. Winners will sometimes share their ideas, reflect on a story, respond to Bible wisdom. Sometimes they will express their critical thinking about the Bible.

TBC

This theme is being sponsored by the Animal Interfaith Alliance (AIA) and Veganism in Education (VinE). RE Today’s resources on ethical veganism as a religious and non-religious worldview support engagement with this theme and can be found here.

‘And God created human beings, male and female, in the divine image, and it was very good…’ What is a human being? Some kind of lucky accident? A branch of evolution close to a monkey? A computer with a soul? A ghost trapped in a machine? A child of God? Many religions teach that our dignity and value as humans comes from being God’s children, and many spiritual (but not religious) people agree. If God is our father and our mother, and we are all God’s children, then what?  How is God reflected in humanity? And how should we live if we are children of God? Great work on this theme will answer one or more of these brilliant questions and give us a chance to see your imagination in colourful glory and splendour. Are you God’s child? If not, what? And how will you show it?

This theme uses great RE learning about holy days, celebrations and festivities to enable learners to think about the deeper meanings of special days and seasons. Reflections on Divali or easter, Eid al Fitr or Pesach will be welcome, but also on weekly special occasions like Shabbat or Eucharist. Why do religions mark time with ritual? What do these events mean to participants and to outsiders looking in? What is the place of ancient story, modern community, values, generosity? Why are festivals religions’s most successful days (far more people do Christmas than weekly church, for example). On festive days, the usual way of things gets turned upside down – what does this mean? Great work here will enable pupils not just to describe a celebration but to get under the surface and find real meaning and spirituality.

How do people think of God? What ‘pictures’ of God do we have in our heads?  Why do visions of God differ around the world? Atheist, agnostics + theistic pupils can all respond to this theme. Express your ideas about God with some original creativity.  Who’s God? The great creator? Prayer answerer? He or she? Above us all or in every human heart? Or is she hiding? Is he not there at all? Unreal? Imaginary? If you wanted to find out who God is where would you search? Google or a ‘god-detector’? Is God on Instagram, TikTok or whatsapp? Can we know God by praying and worshipping, or serving people in need? Great work will make good use of religious and / or non-religious quotes and interpretations. Use theological reflection as well as philosophical argument to make a great art work.

We happily accept entries from students of all abilities and from various school types, spanning ages 3 to 19. Each school can submit up to 10 entries, so it’s essential to select your top 10.

Entry Types

Students have flexibility in creating their entries:

• Entries can be individual, in pairs, or group efforts.
• It’s also possible for entire classes, year groups, or even the entire school to collaborate on entries.
• In previous years, we’ve been delighted to receive entries from entire community groups.

The judging process, conducted by RE Today Advisers and students, occurs in August, and we announce the winners in the new academic year.

Prizes:

• We intend to award 5 prizes for each theme, totalling 25 prizes. However, we may grant more prizes for specific themes if we receive exceptional entries.
• Entries are categorised by Key Stages for judging, to have at least one winner for each Key Stage when possible.

Prize Categories:

• Individual pupil winners: £20 Amazon voucher.
• Paired winners: Each winner receives a £10 Amazon voucher.
• Group/Class/Year/School winners: Prizes are determined on a case-by-case basis but typically range from £50 to £100 in the form of a voucher or school check for selecting appropriate prizes.
• Please note: we cannot guarantee that international winners will receive a monetary prize, due to increasing restrictions on international spending and from online retailers such as Amazon.

Additional Prizes:

• Exceptional work from 14-19 students may win up to £100.
• Sometimes, we can make slightly larger awards for class or group entries.

School Prizes:

• Schools with winning entries receive prizes as well. Typically, this includes a voucher to spend with RE Today, NATRE, or a copy of a best-selling publication from RE Today.

There are various ways to organise the competition within your school. You should select your top 10 entries in the whole school to submit.

• You can opt for a single theme for your students to work on or let them choose from any of the 6 themes.
• Your 10 entries do not all have to be from the same theme.

What should each entry include?

Each entry should consist of a piece of art, which can be physical, literary, or created using technology. We welcome almost all artistic mediums. Additionally, there should be a corresponding write-up, limited to 400 words. This write-up should connect to the theme, highlight your students’ outstanding work, and provide meaningful commentary. The quality of these commentaries plays a significant role in the judging process.

How do I submit entries?

All entries must be submitted  through our online submission form, must include an photograph.

How can I submit musical, dance, and drama entries?

Musical, dance, and drama entries can be submitted via email.

In this case and including poems a simple image representing your art with a note in the write up stating what exactly the submission is for. This process helps us gather the necessary school and student information, ensuring a smooth competition and allowing us to send out prizes and certificates.

Email Submissions:

For digital entries like videos or music, you can send them digitally to [email protected].
To help us manage the submissions effectively, please ensure that the email includes all file names include the pupil’s name, school name, age, and the theme they’re entering and the reference number from the form submitted. Please also ensure all file names include the pupil’s name, age, and the reference number otherwise your entry will not be entered.

• Many schools build the competition into a scheme/unit of work, allowing time to develop knowledge and ideas around a theme before completing the unit by creating their own entries.
• Other schools have run a RE week or day in their school that concludes with creating work for the competition.
• The competition can be used as a fun end-of-term activity or homework project.
• Use the competition as a great way to raise the profile of RE in your school! Make displays of your pupil’s work, and consider asking other members of the teaching staff, SLT or your head teacher to help do the preliminary judging when choosing your best 10 entries to send in.
• Some schools run exhibitions of all their pupil’s work and open them to parents and the wider community. Some even have attendees select the best 10 entries.