TWO Borders pupils have been selected from more than 7000 entrants to win awards in the John Byrne National Drawing Competition.

Hannah Cully (S1) and William Earnshaw (P5) both attend St Mary’s school in Melrose.

The pupils were presented with their awards by renowned artist and playwright John Byrne at a ceremony at Paisley’s Tannahill Centre, where a special exhibition of competition entries is on display until April 15.

The competition, run in partnership with Education Scotland and open to pupils across Scotland from P4 to S3, was established in 2014 to encourage young people to hone their imagination and creativity through drawing.

Since its launch, over 12,000 pupils have submitted artwork to be judged by the renowned artist and playwright, John Byrne.

Deborah Wood, the art teacher at St Mary’s, believes the competition has an important role to play. She told The Border Telegraph: “It’s so important that children have a foundation in being able to draw well and drawing is already very important in our classes.

“The children were just thrilled when they found out their work had been chosen and it’s amazing that John Byrne is willing to inspire young students.”

Mr Byrne was hugely impressed by the standard of submission put forward by the young artists. He said: “This year we judged more than 7000 entries and the level of talent and imagination was outstanding.

“I’m encouraged by the standard of all the artwork submitted and I hope pupils across Scotland will continue to show us their artistic skills and love for drawing.”

Alan Armstrong, Strategic Director for Education Scotland, said: “Art and design are important parts of the Scottish curriculum.

“For years, this competition has encouraged many thousands of children to use their artistic talents to create inspiring and unique drawings.

“Education Scotland is proud to support the competition and its ethos of keeping the art of drawing alive.”