By S.Browne. Updated 5:40 p.m., Wednesday, September 2, 2026, Atlantic Standard Time (GMT-4).
St Joseph’s Convent, Kingstown, has taken all three top spots in the third annual Youlou Arts Foundation Secondary School Art Competition, with three of its students emerging as the first, second and third-place winners.
Magdalene McMillan, 15, captured the top prize, while Avea Patterson, also 15, placed second and Bethonna Thomas, 15, secured third place.
The competition, which is open to secondary school students between the ages of 12 and 16, attracted 15 participants this year.
Students from St Joseph’s Convent, Kingstown, St Martin’s Secondary School, Girls High School and J.P. Eustace Memorial Secondary School participated in the competition, which was held under the theme “Celebrating SVG”.
The students were assessed on creativity, interpretation of the theme, originality and proper use of their chosen medium.
McMillan’s first-place finish earned her $500, while Patterson received $400 for second place and Thomas $300 for third.
Three other students were recognised with honourable mentions and received $100 each.
They are Jayden Scott, 14, and Daijon Ambris, 15, both of St Martin’s Secondary School, and Catalina Balcombe, 15, of Girls High School.
For the Youlou Arts Foundation, however, the competition is about more than determining winners.
The foundation has consistently sought to encourage and nurture artistic expression among young people, using initiatives such as the secondary school competition to give students an opportunity to develop their creativity and express their perspectives through art.
“Youlou Arts Foundation, a non-profit organisation, has been consistent in encouraging and nurturing the arts especially among the youth of the nation,” the foundation said.
The organisation believes that encouraging creativity at a young age can have lasting value, particularly as students are given the freedom to interpret a theme and communicate their ideas visually.
“Fostering creativity in the youth is very important. Being creative is the one thing they can do all their life,” the foundation said.
The “Celebrating SVG” theme also provided students with an opportunity to explore aspects of their home country through their own artistic interpretations.
Rather than being judged solely on technical ability, the competition considered how effectively students interpreted the theme, alongside creativity, originality and their use of artistic media.
The winning and participating works are currently on display at the Youlou Art Gallery in Indian Bay, allowing the wider public to see the students’ interpretations of SVG.
The public is invited to visit the gallery and view the artwork produced for the 2026 competition.
The competition was sponsored for the third consecutive year by St Vincent Co-operative Bank Limited, which provided the six prizes awarded to the winners and honourable mentions.
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