St John Plessington Catholic College Year 9 student, Lilly-Mae fought off stiff competition from her peers and captivated judges with her work winning the first heat of the annual dot-art Schools competition.
The watercolour painting, which Lilly-Mae named ‘Inspiring’, features a high-contrast portrait of Greta Thunberg on an intricate stencilled background.
Lilly-Mae said: “I chose Greta Thunberg because she inspires me to make a difference and help change our earth.
“Winning has made me feel a lot more confident about myself and as a result, I have picked art as a GCSE subject.”
The inter-school art competition is now in its twelfth year and is open to Year 5 and Year 9 students from all educational settings across the Liverpool City Region.
This year, more than 90 schools submitted entries from their budding artists. Out of 290 students in St John Plessington’s Year 9 cohort, Lilly-Mae was one of only 15 to make the shortlist stages.
The artwork of each student was then featured on the dot-art School website, showcasing the artistic talents of the group. A judging panel of respected arts professionals shortlisted three entries from the school.
The panel included James Murphy, the first dot-art Schools overall winner in 2013 and now director of Event Horizon video production.
He joined renowned sculptor, Faith Bebbington, Alice Demba, who leads the learning team at National Museums Liverpool, Louise Hesketh the programmes manager for networks and partnerships at Curious Minds and professor Matthew Pateman, the head of department for English and creative arts at Edge Hill University.
The shortlisted entries from all the schools then went to an online public vote.
Lilly-Mae was announced as the overall winner for St John Plessington, and she will now have her submission framed and showcased in the Walker Art Gallery for the dot-art Schools exhibition on June 5 – July 7.
Headteacher of St John Plessington Catholic College, Mr Peadar McLoughlin, added: “A huge well done to Lilly-Mae for winning this stage of the competition.
“This achievement showcases her exceptional talent and exemplifies the unwavering spirit of creativity and excellence that defines our school community.
“We are ever so proud of her for making it this far and to see her work in the Walker Art Gallery will be a very special moment.”