Tuesday 8 April 2008
2008 Texaco Children’s Art Competition winners announced
DUBLIN, IRELAND 8 APRIL 2008 – A 17-year old Co. Clare student, Lucy Carragher has won the €2,000 top prize in this year's 54th Texaco Children's Art Competition. A pupil at St. Anne’s Community College, Killaloe, Lucy won first prize in Category A of the Competition (16-18 years) for her painting entitled 'Self Portrait’.
Praising Lucy as ‘a well deserved winner’, the Chairman of the judging panel, Professor Declan McGonagle said that she had produced an intense portrait painting in which every inch of the surface is active and alive with brushmarks and paint.
This is the second successive year in which the top prize has been won by a Clare student. Last year, the overall winner was Cillian Boyd, a student at Gaelcholáiste an Chláir, Ennis. This year, a total of 754 students from Co. Clare entered the competition, a 21% increase on the 2007 figure.
Announcing the Awards at a reception held in Dublin City Gallery The Hugh Lane at Parnell Square, Dublin today (Tuesday, 8 April 2008), Enda Riney, Country Chairman of Chevron (Ireland) Limited described Lucy as an extremely talented young artist whose work has featured prominently in previous Competitions.
In 2004, 2005 and 2006, she won a Special Merit Award for her entries. ‘Her achievement in winning the top prize this year has helped maintain the very high standard set by Clare students in the Competition’, Mr. Riney said.
In Category B (14-15 years), the €400 first prize winner was 15-year old Wexford student Ronan Bradbury from Gorey Community School for his painting entitled ‘The Wasp’. Again, this was the second year in succession that this award went to Co. Wexford. The winner last year was 15-year old John Macken from St. Mary’s CBS., Enniscorthy for his painting entitled 'Woodland’.
In Category C (12-13 years), first prize of €300 went to 13-year old Lara Darby from Seacourt Print Workshop, Bangor for her study entitled simply 'Doctor?’ while in Category D (9-11 years), first prize of €200 was won by 11-year old Ashley Ughovwa, a student at Presentation Senior School, Mullingar for her painting entitled 'The Abandoned Tractor’. In Category E (7-8 years), the first prize of €150 went to 8-year old Kerry student Rebecca Murphy from Holy Cross Mercy School, Killarney for her colourful study entitled 'The Hungry Toucan’.
In Category F (6 years and under), the youngest age group in the Competition, first prize winner of €100 was 6-year old Colleen Clarke from Co Down for her entry entitled 'Waterfall River’. In Category G, reserved for entries from children with special needs, first prize of €400 went to 15-year old Glenn Barry, a student at St. Mary’s Special School, Rochestown, Co. Cork for his dramatic entry entitled 'Dolphins Rise at Sunset’.
Second and third prizes in the seven competition age categories went to students from Cork, Wexford, Dublin, Limerick, Monaghan, Louth, Antrim and Mayo.
Final judging was carried out by the Chairman of the judging panel, Professor Declan McGonagle, Chair of Art & Design at the University of Ulster, assisted by preliminary judges Brenda McParland (Senior Curator, Irish Museum of Modern Art), Eoin Butler (Artist and Lecturer in the Visual Arts), Dr. Denise Ferran (Artist and Art Historian), Colleen Frew (Education Officer, Ulster Museum, Belfast) and Brian Owens (Ulster Television).
Commenting, Enda Riney spoke of, ‘The unwavering interest in art that is still present in Ireland's young people as evidenced by the popularity of the Competition and the high level of entries (almost 32,000) which it attracts annually’.
Praising parents and teachers for their role in fostering an appreciation of art amongst our young people, the Chairman of the judging panel, Professor Declan McGonagle pinpointed the wide cultural diversity present amongst our young population as something which bodes well for the future of the Competition.
‘The quality of entries and degrees of creativity evident across all age categories, together with the very advanced levels of style and composition shown by winners in the senior age groups, show how the Competition has become a springboard for students planning future careers in art’, Prof. McGonagle said.
Now in its 54th year, the Texaco Children's Art Competition is the longest running event in the history of art sponsorship in Ireland. The presentation of prizes will take place in Dublin next month.
-ENDS-
Notes to editors
- Texaco is a Chevron company brand. Chevron Corporation is one of the world's leading integrated energy companies, with subsidiaries that conduct business across the globe. The company's success is driven by the ingenuity and commitment of approximately 59,000 employees who operate across the energy spectrum. Chevron explores for, produces and transports crude oil and natural gas; refines, markets and distributes transportation fuels and other energy products; manufactures and sells petrochemical products; generates power and produces geothermal energy; provides energy efficiency solutions; and develops and commercializes the energy resources of the future, including biofuels and other renewables. Chevron is based in San Ramon, California. More information about Chevron is available at www.chevron.com.
- There are approximately 230 Texaco-branded service stations in Ireland and more than 1,300 across Europe. Chevron (Ireland) Limited also provides aviation refueling services at Dublin and Shannon Airports, has an extensive commercial and industrial fuels and lubricants business and holds an equity stake in four fuel storage facilities in the Republic of Ireland. For more information, visit www.texaco.ie
- For further information about the Texaco Children’s Art Competition, contact Don Hall/Maeve Barry, Hall PR on 01 660 9377 or email pr@hallpr.ie. For more information on Chevron (Ireland) Ltd, contact Daniel Schraibman on +44 207 719 4459 or email danielschraibman@chevron.com