Lowestoft Town Council
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Friday 3rd November saw a packed-out awards ceremony for this year’s Black History Month Creative Writing and Visual Arts Competition.
This year’s competition was the biggest yet in the three years that Lowestoft Town Council have marked Black History Month with over 740 submissions from young people in Lowestoft which celebrated people who were inspiring and made them proud.
The creative writing competition saw a range of poetry, diary entries, short stories and songs celebrating the likes of Marcus Rashford, Rosa Parks and Mae Jemison. The visual arts competition included collages, scratch art and clay sculptures depicting the likes of Muhammed Ali, Ruby Bridges and Beyonce and inspired by the creative styles of Ruth Asawa and Augusta Savage.
The judges were delighted with the high number of entries and the quality of all the submissions with the judges agreeing to award the winner and two runners-up in the “Years 3-6” and “Years 2 and Under” age categories for both competitions.
In the Visual Arts Years 2 and Under category, the winner and runners-up were Jessica (Gunton Primary), Dallas (Dell Primary) and Dolcie (Roman Hill), with the Years 3-6 winners and runners-up being Isabella (Dell Primary), Lola-Mae (Phoenix St Peter) and Ayla (Pakefield Primary).
In the Creative Writing Years 2 and Under category, the winner and runners-up were Brody (Dell Primary), Blossom (Roman Hill) and Jasmine (Roman Hill), with the Years 3-6 winners and runners-up being Savannah (Dell Primary), Sophia (Roman Hill) and Maggie (Oulton Broad Primary).
The judges also awarded prizes in each competition to schools who demonstrated a particular dedication to supporting Black History Month. The creative writing shield was awarded to Dell Primary School for the second year in a row whilst the new visual arts shield was awarded to Phoenix St Peter’s for the wide range of art styles submitted and for their whole school display.
Speaking at the awards, Cllr Sonia Barker, Mayor of Lowestoft, said “It was wonderful to have such a great response to our Black History Month competition this year and such a high quality of entries. We had a tough time judging the competition with the number of entries received! Thank you to everyone who took part, from the students to the teachers and parents, and made this year’s competition the best yet and congratulations to all the winners.”
Mr Glen Joyce, Assistant Headteacher for Dell Primary said “It is an honour to once again receive the school prize for Creative Writing. I would like to thank all our students who took part and displayed their writing talents as part of this year’s competition. We are already looking forward to next year’s competition!”
On collecting the Visual Arts Award, Mrs Terri Freeman, Deputy Head of Pheonix St Peter’s, said “We are thrilled to receive the first ever Visual Arts School Award on behalf of the remarkable artists at Phoenix St Peter Academy. This acknowledgment extends beyond artistic talent—it reflects the values embedded in our school and resonates across our academy trust. During Black History Month, and throughout the year we contemplate the diverse tapestry of cultures, histories, and 
contributions shaping our world. At Phoenix St Peter, our commitment to inclusion and diversity is a living principle helped by our shared definition: 'realizing the greatness in our differences.'”
The awards ceremony included a chance to view all the entries, a live music performance from Anna Mudeka and a video thank you message from Olympian Boxer Anthony Ogogo.
A selection of the winning entries can be viewed via this link.
