Four Laois students have been presented with top awards in this year’s 63rd Texaco Children’s Art Competition.
Pictured above is Lucy Deegan (17), from Luggacurren, who won first prize and overall winner in the 16-18 years age category of the Competition.
She is pictured at the award ceremony, which was held in Dublin recently, with her father Jim, mother Fionnuala and RTE presenter Ryan Tubridy.
Other Laois winners were Ciarán Leonard (13), from St. Mary’s CBS, Portlaoise, who won second prize in the 12-13 years age category of the Competition and Asma Zulfiqas (14), from Scoil Chríost Rí, Portlaoise and Abdul Ahad Zulfiqar (6), from Holy Family Junior School, Portlaoise, both of whom received a Special Merit Award.
Seventeen year old Lucy Deegan studies at Gaelcholáiste Cheatharlach in Carlow Town and is a Laois minor footballer.
She has been invited by the International Foundation for Arts and Culture (IFAC) to exhibit her winning artwork at the 18th International High School Arts Festival which will take place in the National Arts Center in Tokyo, Japan in August.
She has also been personally invited to attend an Awards Ceremony which will take place at the Ritz-Carlton, Tokyo on 9th August 2017.
Portrait
Her work, ‘Tom – Summer’, is a portrait of her brother which judges described as ‘beautifully composed and exquisitely finished’.
She fought off competition from thousands of young students from across Ireland who took part in the competition.
Lucy’s prize includes a cheque for €1,500 and a visit to Tokyo where she will be honoured at an awards ceremony.
“I have been entering the Texaco Children’s Art Competition every year and it has always been my dream to be the overall winner.
“My mum was crying when she told me and I just burst into tears beside her.”
Lucy’s mother Fionnuala is herself an animation artist whose work features in Hollywood blockbusters ‘An American Tail’ and ‘All Dogs Go To Heaven’.
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