Creative Competition - Dreaming and Doing

Dreaming & Doing | Creative Competition 2026

For this year’s creative challenge, your task is to create an original and powerful piece of art that reflects our chosen theme:  

Dreaming and Doing: A Voyage into Creativity  

Dream your passion into real life. What inspires your practice? Share with us magical, impossible creativity. Bring us into your imagination and out the other side. What is your voyage into creativity?  

You may create a physical (UK entries only) or digital (all entries) artwork in the medium of your choosing.   

The artwork will be judged by university academics. They will be looking for a piece that expresses the theme in an exciting and thought-provoking way.   

An exhibition of winning entries will be held at the University next year (keep an eye on your email inbox, as well as our website and social media accounts for further information).  

Get creative – and best of luck!  

    What you need to do

    • UK Schools with entries for the Y9 and 10 category – complete a school registration form Your students do not need to complete the entry form below, the outreach team will contact you regarding how Y9 and Y10 students enter.  
    • UK and International entries aged 16+ please register your participation here. Your entry will not be eligible without this form.  
    • Create a piece of art, using the materials of your choice (including, but not limited to pastels, colouring pencils, oil paint, textiles, watercolour paint, chalk, pen and ink, ceramics, textiles, photography, animation, video (no more than three minutes in length), Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, Procreate etc.).  
    • Physical entries (eligible schools only) Send it by post to:  

    Dreaming and Doing   

    Outreach Team   

    Falmouth University  

    Rosehill Reception   

    Woodlane  

    Cornwall   

    TR11 4RH  

    • For all physical entries (applicable to UK schools and colleges only), please keep to a maximum size of a Royal Mail Medium Parcel (61cm x 46cm x 46cm, max. 20kg) and ensure it is posted to us safely, as we cannot take any responsibility for any costs or damages incurred during transit.  
    • As outlined in our Terms and Conditions, you have until 31st July 2026 to arrange for your artwork to be returned to you by post (any costs incurred will be the entrant’s responsibility and not covered by the university) or collected in person (please email outreach@falmouth.ac.uk). After this date, artwork will be disposed of.  
    • Digital entries (UK and International) Send via email with the subject line: Dreaming and Doing <your name and name of school college> e.g. Dreaming and Doing Joe Bloggs Bridgegate Secondary School to the email address provided below. Each 16+ entry will require its own entry form to be accepted.  
    • For all digital entries, please ensure that any photos are high quality (see our FAQs) and are converted to PDF, PNG or JPEG with the resolution 300DPI/PPI  

    DEADLINE  

    31 March 2026 at 5pm  

    How to submit

    For physical entries (UK only), please post your entry to:  

    Dreaming and Doing  

    Outreach Team   

    Falmouth University  

    Rosehill Reception   

    Woodlane  

    Cornwall   

    TR11 4RH  

    Alternatively, you may send high quality photos of 3D pieces. Although we would always love to see them in person, if possible!  

    For digital entries (applicable to all entries UK and International), please email your entry to:  

    creativecompetition@falmouth.ac.uk  

    With the subject line: Dreaming and Doing <your name and name of school college> e.g. Dreaming and Doing Joe Bloggs Bridgegate Secondary School  

    Exterior of Falmouth campus design building.
    Falmouth campus comms building

    Your entry must be clearly labelled with the following information:   

    • Your full name   
    • Your date of birth   
    • The name of your school/college   
    • Your school/college year   
    • Any information on how it should be displayed  

       
    If you are posting your entry (applicable to UK only), please make sure this information is clear to see (e.g. on a label attached securely to your artwork, rather than on a piece of paper that can get lost). Please also ensure artwork is clearly labelled on the back or underneath (not on the work itself) with your full name.  

    If you are emailing your entry, please make sure this information is included in the main body of your email.  

    Registration forms

    Please complete the form below for the prize category that you are entering:

    UK Schools - Years 9 and 10

    UK - 16 and over

    International

    Postal submissions are only applicable to UK entries.

    Eligibility & prizes

    The challenge has the following prize categories:  

    UK    

    • Years 9 & 10 – one winner, two runners up and highly commended  
    • 16 and over – one winner, two runners up and highly commended  

    International  

    • Students aged 16 and over – one winner, two runners up and highly commended  

    Winning prize    

    • £250 of equipment/material in the entrant's chosen art discipline   

    Runner up prize:   

    • £100 of Falmouth art supplies   

    Highly commended prize:   

    • Falmouth goody bag worth £25  

      

    Registered outreach schools with winning entries in the Year 9 and 10 category will win £250 worth of arts resources (applicable to eligible local schools only). 

    Please note that all entries that win a prize will be informed via email following judging, no later than 18th May. If you haven’t heard from us by this date, please assume you have been unsuccessful on this occasion.  

    Support

    If you have any questions about the challenge, or simply need a little inspiration or guidance, then please see our FAQs. You can learn more about how to best approach the challenge, as well as getting some hints and tips.   

    You can email us with any queries at creativecompetition@falmouth.ac.uk  

    FAQs

    Terms & conditions

    1. All submissions must be original work created by the entrant and not artificially generated.  
    2. Y9 and Y10 entrants must be enrolled in the school/college at the time of entry  
    3. Y9 and Y10 entrants must be students of a school registered for the competition as part of a school group submission  
    4. Entrants aged 16+ must complete the application form to enter the competition.  
    5. Entrants must follow all rules and regulations outlined in the competition brief.  
    6. Entrants must not copy other students' work.  
    7. Entries must be submitted by the designated deadline.  
    8. All entries must be submitted in the specified formats.  
    9. All entries must be suitable for a school audience.  
    10. The judges’ decision is final, and no correspondence will be entered into.  
    11. The judges reserve the right to disqualify entries that are deemed inappropriate or offensive.  
    12. All entries must be labelled correctly to be submitted.  
    13. Entries that win a prize will be informed via email no later than 18th May 2026.   
    14. Prizes must be claimed by July 31st 2026 upon which they will be forfeited.  

    Download our full Terms & Conditions below