The Refill Scheme is launching in Milton Keynes with a poster competition for school-children over the October Half Term.

Under 16s art and creative skills are being put the test for the chance to win prizes! But with a short deadline of 14 November 2019, this challenge is about producing a great design (in A3 or A4 size), quickly and with the help of a responsible adult in order to enter and vote.

Here's what you need to do:

Design an A3 or A4 poster that is hand-drawn (using pen, pencil, paint, crayon or textile material). (Note: Electronically created designs will not be accepted.)

Your design should stand out to advertise the Refill Scheme - helping us to put more Refill Stations on the map in Milton Keynes by promoting ANY of these things:

• Encouraging Milton Keynes citizens to reduce single-use plastic by carrying a refillable bottle (instead of buying bottled water)

• Encouraging Milton Keynes citizens to download the free Refill app to find and log Refill Stations

• Encouraging Milton Keynes citizens to use Refill Stations to fill up their water bottle with free tap water
  
  

You can learn more about the Refill Scheme in Milton Keynes by clicking here or visit refill.org.uk for more information.

Poster entries must be submitted to this webpage by uploading a photograph or PDF scan along with a comment stating the artists’ first name, initials, Key Stage and school name.  

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER NOW

Registration to this website is required to upload entries, make comments and "like" or share posts. This will need to be done on behalf of the artist as users of this website must be aged 16 or over to be part of the MK Water Community.

Also remember to choose your school from the Groups drop-down list when you create your login profile.

Deadline for entries:  4pm on Thursday 14 November 2019

Registered users of this website can vote for their favourite posters by clicking the “like” (thumbs up) icon beneath the poster of their choice.

Not only is it important to produce a brilliantly creative poster design but to do it and submit it as quickly as possible.  

This is because the sooner it gets uploaded to this website, the longer it is available for people to see, and the more votes it is likely to get! 

The public vote closes at 11am on Sunday 17 November 2019

The more votes your work gets, the more likely you are to win something...

The 15 entries with the most public "like" votes on the website in the “Primary school” category (comprising artists aged 6 – 11 years) and in the “Secondary school” category (aged 12 – 15 years) will each win a plastic-free reusable water bottle to refill wherever they go in future.

An independent judging panel will choose their favourite poster design from each of the two school age categories (primary and secondary) to decide the two overall winners.

The overall winners will each win two prizes:

1. The presitigious acclaim of having their posters printed on a mass scale and put up all over Milton Keynes for the public to see.  
(Please remember to keep your original artwork to be able to send it to us if you win.)

and

2. An exclusive Milton Keynes Arts Centre art experience (worth up to £60), where the winner has the choice of registering on a 5-week Saturday Arts Studio course of their choosing; or to take part in a special Studio Art Camp they like, or to participate in an Art Workshop where they can take along three friends to share the experience with.

Soon after the competition closes, all winners will be announced here on the Milton Keynes water community website and contacted via the person that registered for them.

The winners will be invited to a celebratory event on Monday 18 November 2019 (from 1.15 - 2.15pm at Milton Keynes Central Library). All artists are encouraged to bring their original artwork to this event.

The winning designs will be printed and put up in various locations around Milton Keynes to showcase their promotion of the Refill Milton Keynes scheme.

Thank you to everyone who participated in the Refill poster design competition.

You will find the presentation slides attached from the event, which includes visuals of all the winning posters.

Please contact refillmiltonkeynes@gmail.com to make arrangements for receipt of your prizes if you were unable to attend the prize-giving ceremony on Monday 18 November 2019.

From Bradwell Village:

·         Anna from Year 5, Bradwell Village

·         Emma from Year 5, Bradwell Village

·         Cara from Year 5, Bradwell Village

From Bushfield School:

·         Ella A in Key Stage 2, Bushfield School

From Denbigh School:

·         Laura, Denbigh School

From Jubilee Wood:

·         Farjana O from Year 6, Jubilee Wood

From Giffard Park:

·         Ashleigh from Year 5

·         Jessica from Year 6

·         Katrina from Year 6

·         Poppy from Year 3

·         Lilia from Year 3

·         Claudia from Year 4

·         Lillie from Year 5

·         Chloe from Year 3

·         Chloe B from Year 3

·         Molly from Year 3

·         Asia from Year 5

·         Lucy T from Year 6

·         Sophia from Year 3

·         Yasmin from Year 5

·         Afraah from Year 6

·         Jayden from Year 5

·         Maya from Year 5

·         Logan from Year 6

·         Erin from Year 4

·         Evie from Year 4

From Orchard Academy:

·         Poster 1 by Vimush, from Elder Class

·         Poster 2 by Yasmin, from Sycamore Class

From Southwood School:

·         Entry 001 from Year 5, Southwood

·         Entry 3 from Southwood

Well done to Jessica from Giffard Park School for creating the winning design in the primary school category.

The judges remarked on the detail that had gone into the design to show the wide-impact of plastics but conveying it with a simple local message advising us to switch to a reusable bottle and fill up at Refill Scheme stations in MK. 

Well done to Laura T from Denbigh School for creating the winning design in the secondary school category.

It was commented that the artwork in this design very cleverly delivers a clear message that tells people what Refill Milton Keynes is all about, the benefits of it, and how we can all get involved. 

·         1. Vimush from Orchard Academy for the poster design with the most public votes. (The total count at the deadline was 40 votes, which was double that of the next most voted design.)

·        
2. Shiba from Orchard Academy for exceptional commitment to the campaign by writing a Refill song for the school and other Citizens:MK members to adopt (This will be sung at the Citzens:MK Parliamentary Candidates Assembly on 2^nd December 2019.)

Final Thoughts

Please see the attached PDF for the reflections and ideas our prize-giving attendees came up with for follow-on actions to our campaign. These suggestions will be discussed further with the children and other members of Citizens:MK’s campaign for Action on Climate Change, which we will work on together to prioritise for worthwhile and winnable action.  

If you are interested in being involved, please contact: refillmiltonkeynes@gmail.com