DONEGAL Railway Heritage Museum has announced the Reconnecting Through Culture Schools Art Competition, part of a Shared Island funded project in association with the Alley Theatre, Strabane.
The competition invites students across the north west to create an artwork depicting a form of transport of their choice, from buses and boats to trains or hot air balloons. Students are also asked to include a short description explaining what the chosen mode of transport symbolises. For example, a car packed for the holidays might represent the freedom of summer, or a ship on a stormy sea could symbolise the power of nature.
There are three categories: Primary School Juniors, Primary School Seniors and Secondary School Students.
Winners will receive vouchers of up to €150, while their schools will receive an additional €100 toward supplies.
All placed entries will be displayed in a temporary exhibition at the Alley Theatre, Strabane, and the artists will be invited to a prize-giving ceremony in September 2026.
Information about the competition has been sent to schools across Donegal and Tyrone, along with a suggested lesson plan exploring the representation of railways in nineteenth- and twentieth-century art, including analysis of paintings by artists such as J.W.M. Turner.
“This competition and the associated lesson materials are intended to encourage children and young people on both sides of the border to think about how different forms of transport affect our lives and our history,” said Museum Manager Marty Gilroy.
“It also encourages them to learn about how different forms of transport might represent different things in art, both in their own works and those of world-renowned artists.
“Overall, this will help develop all kinds of different skills, from critical thinking and visual analysis to creativity and expression, and we hope it will help students engage with the under-discussed but fascinating relationship between infrastructure, art, our world and our everyday lives.”
The competition runs until Friday, May 22. Full details are available at donegalrailway.com, and further inquiries can be directed to [email protected].