The BP Portrait Award showcases the very best in contemporary portrait painting from around the world. BP Portrait Award: Next Generation opens up free opportunities for 14–19 year olds to creatively engage with portraiture.
The National Galleries of Scotland are hosting the BP Portrait Award: Next Generation at the Scottish National Portrait Gallery this winter. They are offering four, short taster sessions where young people can experiment with drawing techniques and two, two-day Winter Schools where young people can experience a more intense approach to drawing and painting, coached by past BP Portrait Award-winning artists.

These are free and open to young people from all over Scotland. A small number of travel bursaries are available to young people on application.

For more information or to book a place, please email Joanna Mawdsley, Schools Education Officer.

http://www.nationalgalleries.org/education/projects/bp-portrait-award-2012-next-generation?dm_i=LQE,10RS7,3GU5HR,348LG,1

Edinburgh City Council announces that children and young people are being encouraged to get creative and follow in the footsteps of a ‘shoe’ in a new competition launched by Edinburgh Museums & Galleries and Red Kite Animation.  Inspired by artist Qian Shi’s award-winning short film about a toy shoe, the ‘Hidden Stories’ animation competition is designed to celebrate Edinburgh’s rich heritage and the art of animation.

Budding animators have until 22 March to submit short films based upon either a real or imagined back story of an object of their choice, housed in one of Edinburgh’s Museums & Galleries.

http://www.edinburgh.gov.uk/news/article/1043/the_shoe_fits_new_animation_competition

A half hour talk by John Cleese on what creativity looks like and how to make space for it. He draws upon psychological research and makes reference to some of the key themes to our current education thinking – persistence, gestation (time), making connections and how humour is somehow tied to it inextricably.

http://creativityportal.org.uk/

A picture tells a thousand words… http://engageforeducation.org/news/a-picture-tells-a-thousand-words/

The Power of the Sea is a fantastic chance to flex your creative muscles to win photography equipment and lessons for you and your school!

School pupils from all over Scotland are invited to capture ‘the power of the sea’ in a junior photography competition aimed at highlighting the awesome force and natural resource of the waters around our coast.

Entries will be judged by the critically-acclaimed, world renowned Scottish photographer, David Eustace. So if you’re a budding photographer in Primary, S1-3 or S4-6 then look no further! Submit your entries before the competition closes on 2 November.  Find out more here.