TPPS Art on a Postcard 2026

We were thrilled to celebrate another year of the Trinity Partner Primary Schools (TPPS) ‘Art on a Postcard’ competition, inviting children from local primary schools across South London to submit a postcard design under this year’s theme of ‘Belonging’.

We were delighted to receive an impressive 300 entries, each offering a unique interpretation of the theme. Art Teacher Mrs Fulker explained:

“It was lovely to see the huge variety of responses to the theme of ‘Belonging’. Children used a variety of medium from coloured pencils to paint and oil pastels with many using words to demonstrate their understanding of the theme. That’s what we were really looking for when judging the entries: how they were able to visually communicate their perception of ‘Belonging’ over and above the aesthetics of the piece. A huge congratulations to everyone who entered and especially the winners from each school.”

Shortlisted pupils from each school were invited to a private gallery viewing with their families, where they had a chance to see their artwork on display, as well as seeing the artwork from other schools. From the shortlisted pupils a winner from each school was also chosen.

We spoke to three of the winners about the inspiration behind their artwork.

Year 6 pupil Serah said her artwork was inspired by the idea that “everyone can have light in them, and light always brings everyone together.”

Her beautifully detailed postcard depicts two girls standing on a bridge, surrounded by glowing light as a symbol of friendship and belonging. “I thought to draw two girls on a bridge with light, so that they can be friends,” she explained.

Created using markers and pastels, Serah particularly enjoys working with pastels because “I can smudge colours in. For example, like the moon, it has a glow, so I usually try to make the pastel glowy.”

When she discovered she had won, Serah admitted she was initially “quite shocked” before feeling relieved to learn there were other winners too. An enthusiastic young artist, she already attends an art class and is looking forward to creating more artwork over the summer.

Year 2 pupil Ellis used her postcard to celebrate kindness and inclusion, creating an image of two children from different racial backgrounds sharing a high five.

“I thought because sometimes people are racist to other people, and they feel like they’re being treated differently,” she said. “So, I did two different people from different races giving each other a high five.”

The colourful design also features bold decorative lettering, all created in coloured pencil. Ellis said her favourite artistic style is Cubism because she likes “the feeling of things just being all jumbled up.”

Winning the competition was a proud moment. “I felt really happy because I really put a lot into my postcard,” she said, and she’s already looking forward to creating more art over the summer.

We also spoke to Year 5 pupil Sofiyah, who was the Elmwood Junior School winner. Her art was inspired by the things that make her feel like she belongs and what she thought would make other people feel like they belong, saying “I just thought of things that make me feel like I belong, and then what I thought would make other people feel like they belong, like showing how everyone is different.”

Sofiyah also explained that she has a particular interest in anime and graffiti-style art.

Well done to all the pupils who won and we are also pleased to announce that Fairchildes Primary School won the overall competition for their excellent interpretation and visual communication of the theme belonging.