Talented Scottish student wins Rotary Young Artist Competition

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A talented young creative from Peebles has been named the Junior winner of the Rotary Young Artist Competition for 2023/24.

Maria O’Hara, a 9-year-old student at Halyrude Primary School, impressed the judges with her illustration depicting hands lifting a newly sprouted seedling being carried away from the flames that burn below. Her creation perfectly matched the theme of this year’s Rotary Young Artist Competition, ‘rebuilding’, a central theme of Rotary’s community work across the globe.

Sponsored by Peebles Rotary Club, Maria was one of three winners of the competition, triumphing in the Junior category for young people aged 7 – 10.

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Talented painters and illustrators from across Great Britain and Ireland have showcased their talents in this year’s Rotary Young Artist Competition, with the national final displaying a range of powerful pieces from contestants aged 10 – 17.

Maria O'Hara's winning entryMaria O'Hara's winning entry
Maria O'Hara's winning entry

This year’s final was judged by award-winning artist, Lucy Pittaway; alongside Vicky Elliot, Business Manager for Lucy Pittaway Galleries, and Louise Hay, Managing Director of the Fine Art Trade Guild.

Andrew Clarke at Peebles Rotary Club said: “Maria’s artwork not only aligns beautifully with the theme of 'rebuilding', but also conveys a powerful message of optimism, and how there is always hope for regrowth from destruction. We are incredibly proud of her achievement.”

In her work, Maria said she wanted to capture “from the ashes of destruction, a caring and diverse ​community can always rebuild, grow and find hope in the darkest situations - ​helping clear the path for the future generations to come.”

Find out more about Rotary’s competitions and programmes for young people at www.rotarygbi.org.

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