The Junior Painter of the Year Awards

22 November 2008—16 February 2009

In the Gallery Café

An artistic celebration of the gift of sight

The Junior Painter of the Year Awards is a national painting competition for primary schools, run by leading blindness charity Sightsavers International in partnership with the Royal Academy Schools. The competition helps to raise awareness of the work of the charity while promoting and celebrating the use of paint in schools.

Emily Richardson, aged 7, St Michael's Church of England Junior School. 'My Two Dogs' Winner, Infants category (4-7)

The Junior Painter of the Year Awards exhibition invites you to experience some unique and beautiful paintings submitted by 4-11 year olds across the UK using the theme ‘The sight I would most like to see’. The regional and national winners' paintings being exhibited today were chosen out of 9,000 submitted this year.

Professor Maurice Cockrill RA, the Keeper of the Royal Academy of Arts and head of the Junior Painter judging panel, was very pleased with the overall standard of entries this year and hopes that even more young people around the UK are inspired to enter in 2009.

75% of global blindness is avoidable. Sightsavers works to prevent and cure blindness around the world and also support those who are blind through education and rehabilitation programmes.

For more information about the annual Junior Painter of the Year Awards please contact:

Jo Mitchell (01444 446727, jmitchell@sightsavers.org )

• Royal Academy of Arts