‘Bursting with creativity’ – Recap of the ISA National Art Competition 2023

The seven Regional Art Competitions culminated in the National Art Final on 6-7 November alongside the ISA Autumn Study Conference.

Once again, an exhibition of over 250 exceptional artworks, from more than 100 ISA schools, showcased the artistic prowess within our Members’ schools.

Pieces included the unique exploration and creativity of the self-portraits this year. Several 2D pieces explored mixed media, using maps, paper plates, stamps and newspaper to create diverse visual textures.  

For the first time, we even saw canvasses cut into shapes, including leaves and an anatomically accurate heart, the detail of which left everyone impressed.

Elaborate drawings resembled photographic realism, while photography took on more abstract ideas, clearly demonstrating students’ study into light and shapes which was a joy to behold.

The 3D sculptures predominantly featured an ocean theme with models of coral, boats made up of rubbish found on beaches, and a puzzle of clay swimmers. Our textile and fashion categories were filled with so many individual pieces, which would not look out of place on a modern runway.

The scale of the pieces this year was vast, ranging, from a huge painted canvas, bursting with colour to stage set designs created by an entire class. Even on a smaller scale, the artwork was impressive, such as a complete Hungry Caterpillar clay set featuring miniature food items and growing caterpillars.

We hope this competition was a valuable opportunity to share ideas and for schools to feel inspired. Thank you to everyone who took part and, once again, congratulations to the award winners. To view all of the finalists’ art please visit the virtual gallery below.

See the full results below:

National Art Competition Results 2023.pdf

If you would like to know more about the competition please visit the ISA National Art Competition page, or contact [email protected].