At the GLOBEDUCATE virtual arts competition 2021 Blyth Academy Students were awarded with for talent

By Ishika Arora

Fri., Nov 5, 2021 | reading time 3 minutes ⏰

In November, students competed in the annual Globeducate Virtual Arts Competition, which had the topic "Connections." Nearly 200 kids from 39 schools throughout the world, ranging in age from 5 to 18, took advantage of the chance to display and explore their abilities in sculpting, poetry, drawing, 3D art, painting, photography, and creative writing. Before final submissions were picked for the worldwide competition, participating schools staged internal art shows and allowed artists to be peer appraised or judged by the school community. At this year's tournament, three Blyth Academy pupils were honoured. Andra from Blyth Academy Ottawa took first place in the Upper High School Creative Writing category. Here's the link to her winning piece:

Betty W. of Blyth Academy Mississauga got an Honorary Mention in the Upper High School Photography category. She said, “My photo is of the CCTV tower in Beijing China and the CN tower in Toronto Canada. They are both photos taken by me. Beijing is my hometown; this is a photo that connects my current residence and hometown.”

Samuel, a Blyth Academy Etobicoke student, got an Honorary Mention in the Upper High School Student category for his creative writing. This is what he had to say about his work, His Shadow.

“I’ve been working on the two characters in my story for a few months now. As a writer, I know it is important to focus on character development and how you want that character to evolve and grow in your story. Even if it is a short piece, there is always crucial world building and development that can happen. When I created my characters, a pair of twin brothers, I wanted them to be polar opposites. With Noah, I wanted him to be more of an introvert, with darker thoughts and a more shy personality. Alternatively, with his brother Max, I wanted him to be an extrovert, loving everything that life has to offer and exploring the world around him.

Even before the competition, I knew I wanted to create something with these characters, to write a story with them, where they can learn and grow together with just me, as an aspiring-author, guiding them along. However, when I heard that the Globeducate Art Contest theme this year was connections, I knew that this was my opportunity to really get a feel for my twin characters. So, I began to write a short story, no more than 900 words, which simply featured Noah’s inner dialogue and conflict, as well as Max’s wish to help his brother be more open.

Hearing that I got an honorary mention was better than I could have hoped for. This has been the third writing contest that I have submitted a short story to, and this is the first time I have received recognition of any kind. Knowing that my story was acknowledged and recognized has only encouraged me to continue what I am passionate about; writing, developing characters, and continuing my path into a future in creative writing. Now, with the recognition, I will use it to push me further into developing both Noah and Max, as well as my other characters in my future pieces. I could not be more grateful for this opportunity."