Young Artists brush up on their skills

Fri 04 Apr, 2014

In celebration of the Merrion Centre’s 50th birthday on May 26th, the iconic Leeds shopping centre is inviting kids, aged 5 – 16 years old, to put pen to paper and design the 50th anniversary logo.

Partnering with Child Friendly Leeds, the initiative is looking for a logo or small design that captures the spirit of the Merrion Centre and Leeds. The winning artist will receive an i-pad mini and £250 of art goodies for their school. They will also win a prestigious prize of attending a professional design studio to sit and work with a leading graphic designer to finalise their logo. The winning design will be featured on all celebratory material as well as anniversary bunting, which will be hung in the Centre for all to enjoy.

The judging panel is made up of a representative from the Youth Parliament and Child Friendly Leeds, as well as a professional designer and Edward Ziff, Chairman and Chief Executive of Town Centre Securities PLC. They will be looking for a creative and reflective logo that signifies the Merrion Centre and all that Leeds has to offer. The competition closes on the 29th April and the winner will be announced on 1st May.

Edward Ziff comments; “We want to involve everyone in our anniversary, not just those who actually remember the day the Centre opened. This competition is the perfect way to welcome children into the celebrations. It’s a real honour to showcase the winning design on bunting around the Centre; we’ve never done anything like that before. I’d love to see the entrants thinking about their memories of the Centre and even incorporating ideas into what they think the Centre may look like in the next 50 years. I’m eager to see how imaginative the students can be and can’t wait to see the designs.”

All entries will be displayed in a dedicated area on the top balcony wall in the Merrion Centre on the 26th May until mid – July. Allowing family and friends to come and marvel at the masterpieces.

Councillor Judith Blake, executive board member responsible children’s services at Leeds City Council said:
“The Merrion Centre and Town Centre Securities have really taken the child friendly Leeds initiative to their hearts and have come up with some great ideas to involve children in their anniversary celebrations. The support from businesses like this is vital to help us make Leeds a truly child friendly city.”

If you think you know someone with an artistic flair or you want to demonstrate your own drawing talents then please send in your designs to 50years@merrioncentre.co.uk or 50th logo competition, Merrion Centre, Leeds, West Yorkshire LS2 8NG. Please ensure all drawings are clearly labelled with name, age, contact details, home address and school address.
Schools entering several students designs can register below.