Shiplake College is delighted to celebrate two exceptional artistic achievements, as pupils across the school secured an impressive range of awards at the 2026 Henley Youth Festival (HYF) and the Henley Arts Trail’s Art Spark Award.
This year’s Henley Youth Festival brought together hundreds of young creatives from the local area, and Shiplake’s artists rose brilliantly to the challenge. We are incredibly proud to announce 12 award winners across a variety of categories:
Individual Awards
- Will Smith – 1st Prize, Portrait category
- Polina Brown – 1st Prize in her age category for an A3 Octopus drawing
- Arisa Greer – Joint‑2nd Prize in her age category for a donkey painting
- L Guyan – 3rd Prize in her age category for a kingfisher artwork
- Masha Budnyk – 3rd Prize for her owl artwork
- Effie Stewart – Highly Commended, 3D category for her foil horse
- Sophie Reed – 3rd Prize in her age category in the HYF Photography Competition for her ‘Animal Collage’
3D and Group Categories
- Archie Chester‑Towler – 2nd Prize, 3D Art category for a trio of animal head sculptures
- Sabrina Verano Luri, D Richards, E Banwell and Grace Barratt – 3rd Prize, Group Category for their collaborative A1 painting
These awards reflect the creativity, hard work and dedication of Shiplake’s young artists, who embraced this year’s HYF “Amazing Animals” theme with originality and flair. Their artwork, along with other winning entries, will be on display at Henley Library for the next six weeks.
Head of Art, Mrs Keli Jiggens, shared her pride in the pupils' achievements: 'We are delighted to have 12 winners for the HYF competition — this is the most ever! It showcases the talent and dedication from our students. Very proud! Well done everyone! All the work is now on display in the Great Hall if anyone would like to pop in and see it.'
Following E Young’s success last year, we are thrilled that Aidan Wise has been named a winner of the prestigious Art Spark Award for the 2026 Henley Arts Trail. Judges were highly impressed by Aidan’s skill and artistic maturity. He attended a prize‑giving event last week at The Plough, Shiplake, where his achievement was formally recognised. As part of his prize, Aidan has been awarded a one‑to‑one masterclass with professional artist Sue Tilbury—a fantastic opportunity to further develop his talents.
These accomplishments highlight the strength and depth of artistic talent across the College. From intricate drawings and expressive paintings to imaginative 3D work and thoughtful photography, our pupils continue to demonstrate creativity, passion and confidence in their craft. A huge congratulations to all our winners and participants. We look forward to seeing their continued artistic journeys both in and beyond the classroom.
