Libby Brown, a 16-year-old pupil at Ashby School, has won Ashby Rotary's 2024 Young Artist Competition for the second time.

She collected the prize for her painting entitled 'Regarding Buildings – Fragments' - Libby also won the competition in 2022.

Conkers Discovery Centre was the venue for the prizegiving on Friday (March 23) which attracted over 700 entries from primary and secondary schools. 

The competition had the title 'Rebuilding', which gave entrants scope for their imagination.

2024 Rotary Young Artist Libby Brown receives her winner's certificate from Paul Cook, Ashy Rotary President, supported by event judges Jo Allsopp and Martin Vaughan

Isabelle Wood, aged seven, from Donisthorpe Primary School, won first in school and also first prize for the five to 10 year age group, while Libby won the intermediate age group prize.

Competition judges Malcolm Vaughan and Jo Allsopp appraised the prize-winning pictures and congratulated the winners as they were presented with their certificates.

First in school prizes were presented to Libby Brown, Ashby School; Heidi Hicks, Ivanhoe College; Kyra Littlewood, Lewis Charlton School, all middle schools.

2024 Rotary Young Artist Libby Brown

First in school primary: Elodie Gould, Viscount Beaumont C of E; Freya Edwards, Measham Catholic; Isla Cooper, Snarestone C of E; Ava D., Measham C of E; Hugo Wilkes, Moira; Sophie Holly Mitchell, Hill Top; Daisy Hicks, Ashby Hastings; Evelyn S., Albert Village; Hollie Bond, Ashby Willesley; Isabelle Wood, Donisthorpe; Theo Jenkins, Ashby C of E; Sidney-L. Fairbrother, Ashby Woodcote.

All of the winners received gift vouchers of passes to the Centre generously donated by Conkers, while judge Jo Allsopp presented her latest book, Loose and Lively Animals, containing reproductions of wild animal paintings by Jo, to Young Artist winner Libby Brown.

Some of the winners of the Ashby Rotary Young Artist 2024 competition with event judges Martin Vaughan and Jo Allsopp

Ashby Rotary President Paul Cook thanked the judges for the mammoth task of selecting the winners from an enormous entry; he also thanked Conkers for hosting the event again and for donating the prizes; and expressed his appreciation to Rotarian Mike Cox for organising the competition, although not being fully fit.

He also gave the audience a run-down on the purpose of Rotary and its involvement with the community through events such as this.