Northumberland County Council and Groundwork are excited to invite schools in the Ashington, Blyth, Cramlington, Bedlington and Seaton Valley partnerships to take part in an interschool art competition to celebrate Recycling Week 2025 (22nd – 29th September).
This year’s theme, “Rescue me! Recycle”, encourages children to think about everyday items that are often thrown away but should be recycled. In Northumberland, the focus will be on rescuing key items such as plastic toiletries, aerosols, toilet roll tubes and trigger spray bottles to go in home recycling, and perfume bottles to be taken to HWRCs and bottle banks along with glass bottles and jars.
We are asking primary school pupils to create a piece of artwork using recyclable materials, accompanied by a short story explaining what the piece means to them. Entries can be a collaborative effort between year groups, classes, or an individual student, and schools can submit up to three entries.
A judging panel from Northumberland County Council and Groundwork will select the winning school, which will receive a £100 prize. Judges will be looking for creativity, how well the artwork links to the theme, and the story behind it.
Competition details:
– Confirmation of participation is required by 20th September 2025.
– Final entries must be submitted by Friday 3rd October 2025.
– Winners will be announced by Friday 17th October 2025.
A committee member will visit participating schools to capture photos and videos of the final artwork and meet the students that created them. Schools are also encouraged to document their creative journey.
Each participating school will receive an information pack including full competition rules, classroom resources on recycling, and guidance linked to this year’s theme.
We hope you will join us in this exciting opportunity to and celebrate an over 20 yeatradition raising awareness about recycling.
To confirm your school’s participation, please respond by Friday 20th September 2025 to jasmine.patterson@groundwork.org.uk after which you will receive further resources.
Thank you for your continued support in helping to build a more sustainable future. We look forward to seeing your students’ imaginative creations.
