Renaissance Legal artwork competition 2025 – marking our 15th anniversary

Earlier this year, we proudly ran and hosted our 2025  Artwork Competition and Exhibition – a celebration of the creativity and talent within the SEND community.

The event was an overwhelming success, bringing together children and young people with SEND to express their unique perspectives through art. With nearly 100 stunning entries submitted from across the UK, the response exceeded all expectations and created a powerful platform for self-expression, inclusion, and awareness.

The theme for the competition, “What I love to do”, invited participants to share what is most meaningful to them – whether that was family, friends, places, or personal interests. The result was an inspiring collection of artwork that beautifully captured the voices and visions of its young artists.

We are so grateful to everyone who participated – from the talented young artists and their families to the teachers, carers, and supporters who helped make this event possible. Your creativity and enthusiasm brought the vision for this competition to life.

Our brilliant panel of judges

We are extremely lucky to have had the support of a group of inspirational judges for the 2025 competition. The following individuals judged the competition alongside our Managing Director, Philip Warford:

  • Julia Donaldson – renowned children’s author, Children’s Laureate 2012-13 and Patron of Amaze Sussex.
  • Ciara Lawrence – learning disability campaigner and podcaster.
  • Patricia Finnegan – artist development lead at Project Art Works – a collective of neurodiverse artists and activists.
  • Baroness Browning – former Conservative MP, VP of the National Autistic Society and an Ambassador for the Alzheimer’s Society.
  • Angela Pell – a writer for film and TV whose credits include Snow Cake, starring Sigourney Weaver and Alan Rickman and Gifted, starring Rhys Ifans. Angela also worked on the film adaptation of Naoki Higashida and David Mitchell’s The Reason I Jump. She also co-wrote the memoir A Normal Family with her husband Henry Normal about bringing up their autistic son, Johnny.

The exhibition event

To celebrate the incredible submissions, Renaissance Legal hosted a public exhibition in Brighton in May 2025. The event was attended by artists, families, educators, and members of the local community. The exhibition not only showcased the shortlisted pieces but also highlighted the importance of recognising and celebrating diverse abilities.

Winners were announced across three age categories, with each artist receiving a certificate, prizes, and the heartfelt appreciation of all who attended. The wonderful families, artists and teachers who came along to the exhibition described the competition as “uplifting,” “joyful,” and “deeply moving.”