Olympic art

You might want to get the children into the Olympic spirit by encouraging them to take part in the Visa Olympics of the Imagination (VOI) art competition. Open for nine- to 13-year-olds, the VOI takes place in more than 17 countries where children are asked to draw or paint their ideas of how they think the Olympic Games help to create a better future. The UK winner of the competition will receive a trip for themselves and a parent or guardian to the Athens 2004 Olympic Games where they will attend the VOI ceremony (the first medal ceremony of the games). One artist from all the participating countries will then be chosen as the overall winner and receive a trip to the Turin 2006 Olympic Winter Games. A shortlist of entries across the UK will be invited to attend a ceremony in London where their artwork will be exhibited and judged by a celebrity panel which will take into account artistic merit, originality and the ability to communicate the theme of the competition. Entry forms are available on www.visavoi.co.uk The children's pictures need to be no larger than 42 x 42 cm on paper or poster-board and there should be an accompanying descriptive title, with a paragraph of 50 words or less, to say how the image represents their ideas. Send your entries to Imagination 2004, GCI, 30/34 New Bridge Street, London EC4V 6BJ by 31 March.