Young artists from across Kingston have been named the winners of the 'Kingston Through Their Eyes' art and photography competition, following a public exhibition at County Hall Kingston in collaboration with London Square and Square Roots.

The People's Choice Award, voted for by members of the public who visited the exhibition on 3 and 4 October, was awarded to Roko in Year 11 at Tiffin School.

Organised by London Square and Square Roots in partnership with Tiffin School, the competition invited children and young people from a group of local primary schools, including Malden Parochial CofE School, St Matthew's CofE Primary School, St Agatha's Catholic Primary School, St Joseph's Catholic Primary School and Latchmere School, as well as secondary school pupils from Tiffin School to capture what Kingston means to them through art and photography.

On Monday 5 October, the Mayor of Kingston, Councillor Thay Thayalan presented the winners and runners-up at Tiffin School with their certificates.

Divided into three age categories, the judging panel included the Deputy Mayor of the Royal Borough of Kingston-upon-Thames, Cllr Jane Lim, Suzanne Darling, Gallery Manager at Clarendon Fine Art, Sid Hanif at London Square and co-founder of Raw Ground Arts, and Tahira Mandarino on behalf of Tiffin School.

The winners and runners up were:

• In the Key Stage 1 & 2 category for primary schools, Sia, Year 3, from St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, was named the winner, with Eva from Latchmere School, and Rose from St Agatha's School, named runners-up.
• In the Key Stage 3 category for Tiffin School, Aarav was named the winner, with Henry named runner-up.
• In the Key Stage 4 category for Tiffin School, Lucas was named the winner, with Pharrell named runner-up.

Cllr Jane Lim, Deputy Mayor of the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames, said: "It has been wonderful to see Kingston through the eyes of the young people who live, learn and spend time here.

"The competition has brought together schools, families and the wider community to celebrate their creativity and give them a platform to showcase their work.

"I selected Lucas as the winner for the Key Stage 4 category as his entry, a drawing of the market square in Kingston town centre, was exceptional and perfectly depicts the history and architecture of our ancient market town."



Co-founder of Raw Ground Arts Tahira Mandarino, representing Tiffin School added: "All the artworks showed a passion for drawing and expression of the theme. It is never easy making a decision as all the entries showed confidence and a sense of each artist's unique personality.

"I chose Sia as the winner because I enjoyed looking at all the different memories that she shared. It is always interesting for the viewer to be inspired and want to come back to a drawing or painting and this definitely achieved just that. It was personal, well drawn and made me smile."

Lisa Barlow, Clarendon Fine Art, said: "Judging the Key Stage 3 entries was a wonderful opportunity to see the different ways young people can respond to a place and make a piece of artwork their own. There was a fantastic variety of styles and approaches, and a real sense of confidence in the work.

"Aarav's winning entry particularly caught my attention for its creativity, attention to detail and strong interpretation of the theme, while Henry's work was also highly deserving of recognition."

Speaking about the competition, Sid Hanif, Site Manager at London Square added: "It was a real pleasure to see the range of creativity on display, with each young artist bringing their own interpretation of Kingston to the competition.

"There was a huge amount of imagination across all the entries, from the way the town's landmarks and surroundings were captured to the stories and ideas behind each piece."

The exhibition was held in the historic County Hall Kingston on Penrhyn Road, the former Surrey County Council headquarters, which is being carefully restored by London Square to create a stunning collection of one, two and three-bedroom apartments and duplexes.

The event was supported by its affordable housing arm Square Roots, which is providing a collection of one, two and three bedroom apartments available through shared ownership at Square Roots Kingston situated on Hawks Road.

Prices at County Hall Kingston start from £450,000 for a one bedroom suite apartment, with homes ready to move in from Christmas. At Square Roots Kingston, prices are from £98,750 for a 25% share of a one bedroom apartment with a full market value of £395,000.

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