By Tania Phillips
They came in Covid safe groups of 50 at a time for the awards ceremony of the annual Crisps Youth Art Prize at the Stanthorpe Regional Art Gallery on Friday night in Stanthorpe.
The youngest competitor was just one and the oldest in their late teen, with prizes awarded in every age group from playgroup and kindergarten through to year 12.
Big winners on the night were St Joseph’s Year 10 student Kira St John who took the Burton Family Grand Prize for seniors with her artwork Harsh Elegance while Severnlea State School’s Year Five Louella Tomkins was the Junior Grand Prize winner for Keep Safe. The award is memory of Therese Burton an important figure in the gallery and in the arts in Stanthorpe who worked with the Crisp family to help bring the awards to fruition.
Gallery Director Mary Findlay said despite the Covid restrictions, the Awards were the biggest ever in the event’s 30-year history well up on last year’s impressive 700 plus entries.
“We had 944 works -from a one-year old right through to year 12 because playgroup participated this year so that was phenomenal,” Ms Findlay explained.
“We had prize winners, one to and three and highly commended in each year group.
“The award ceremony was a bit tricky this year as we could only allow 50 people in at a time but we had the Youth Big Band playing outside. So that was great because while people were waiting in the park to come in they could hear it.
“We had artistic expression everywhere – we had it in the parkland and we had inside with the 944 works.”
Dale and Jarrod Crisp were on-hand to hand out the prizes on the night turning to elbow bumps this year instead of handshakes. All the winners as well as more pictures of the night will be up on the Southern Free Times Website.
Winners: Playgroup: First – Patrick Van Soest, second Sophia James Herbert, Third Julian Curra; Highly commended Edward Gravatt, Jasmine Maxwell.
Kindergarten: First – Jack Pavey, second Georgia Robinson, third Jesse Repo; Highly commended: Ell Collings.
Prep: First Lucas Giacosa, second Aidan Finch, third Kendall Mandavy; Highly commended: Fleri McCrystal, Haylee McMenimen.
Year One: First Oscar Cox, Second Indigo Kunze, third Alanna Fox; Highly Commended: Braxton Van Reevast, Eryn Gregory, Darcy Skillington, Ava Leotta, Gerard Owens, Braxcyn Dayley.
Year Two: First (tied) Cooper Ashburn & Betty Summerville Baumann, second Layla Chapman, third Cameron Bylicki, highly commended Keely Gilbert.
Year Three: First Bianca Carnell, second Archie Elliot-Roberts, third Sienna-Lee, Cavanagh-Green; highly commended: Mia Dullahide, Jamison Acquisto, Indiana Austin, Brody Pollard.
Year Four: First Angus Gregory, second Jack McKee, third Patrick Scudamore. Highly commended: Jasmine Navybox, Claire Harvey, Lillian Taylor.
Year Five: First Louella Tomkins, second Tamalyn Johnstone, third Leo Cannavo, highly commended: Jamie Alderidge, Isabella Wenban, Martha Lupton.
Year six: First Charlie Powrie, second Ava Mayne, third Ashley Juris, highly commended: Lachlan Doyle, Penny Andreatta, Mia Sutton, Ruby Brady, Maddison Stevens, Darius Jansink, Lisa Crump.
Year Seven: First Katie-Lee Jansink, second Eva Humble, third Ashlin Searle, highly commended Sophie Brunkhhorst.
Year Eight: First Lazarus Fonoti-Filipo, second Lily Giesemann.
Year Nine: First Mykaela Mayne, second Lucy Fairbank, third Alex Malcolm, highly commended Lucy Fairbank.
Year 10: First Caitlin Ellis, second Kaelie Doyle, third Cydney McErvale. Highly commended Joshua Paech.
Year 11: First Pierce Johnson.
Year 12: First Alicia Paech, second Gracey Wollenweber, third Alicia Paech. Highly commended Jasmine McDonald.
