Last October we launched “Window on Another World” – a competition for primary school children inspired by our new building in Jericho, in the heart of Oxford. We asked children across all of Oxfordshire to put their pen (and brushes) to paper and draw what they would like to see if they could peek through a window on another world. This is after all quite similar to what our students set out to do when they come to the Blavatnik School of Government: they have a vision of a better world and are passionate about making that happen through public service.
With nearly 2,000 entries submitted, the judges had a really hard task selecting the most imaginative, bright and exciting visions of another world. In the end, they whittled them down to twelve and we’re excited to finally announce the winners – you can see the beautiful drawings in this gallery, alongside a large selection of other entries.
The winning artwork will be revealed today on the Blavatnik School building site hoardings alongside the characters Winnie the Witch and her black cat Wilbur, who appear in a series of books published by OUP. All twelve winners will also receive a selection of prizes including an iPad mini and OUP books.
"We wanted to create an opportunity to inspire young children across Oxfordshire by imagining other worlds,” explained Ngaire Woods, Dean of the Blavatnik School of Government. “Our graduate students come to Oxford from many different countries and backgrounds because they want to help make a better world. We were positively astounded not only by the number of entries we received but also by the incredible visions interpreted by the children for this competition."
“Creativity is at the heart of what we do at Oxford Children’s Books so we are delighted to have been involved in this competition which showcases the inventive and imaginative talents of Oxfordshire’s children. We were overwhelmed by the response and it will be fantastic to see the twelve winning artworks displayed opposite our offices alongside one of our favourite story book characters, Winnie the Witch,” said Liz Cross, Head of Children’s Publishing, Oxford University Press.
The competition was organised in collaboration with our future neighbours Oxford University Press (OUP), and construction company Laing O’Rourke.
