Illustrations picked to celebrate awards night

A design competition to create the trophy for the Kent Mental Wellbeing Awards has picked two illustrations as its winners for 2024.

A three dimensional design created by Niamh Bates, 17, of Queen Elizabeth Grammar School, Faversham has been selected as the overall winner to present to the dozen champions who will be named at the event this autumn. In addition, an illustration by Alina Sebin, 11, of St Bartholomew’s Roman Catholic Primary School will be turned into the trophy for the Kent Kindness Champion to be presented at the awards.

Alina Sebin’s winning design for the Kindness category

A further six illustrations have been Highly Commended by the judging panel these include designs by: Anaya Shaikh, 10, of Cecil Road Primary and Nursery School, Gravesend; Darcie Packer, 12 of St George’s COE School, Gravesend; Divine Ebelechukwu, 13, of Homewood School and Sixth Form, Ashford; Evie Jones, 13, of The Whitstable School; Xander Lonie, 12, Tunbridge Wells Grammar School for Boys; Ben Mulcahy, 16, Queen’s Elizabeth Grammar School, Faversham.

Simon Dolby, Development Lead at Mind in Bexley and East Kent, the organisation staging the annual awards, said: “We were thrilled at both the volume of entries and quality of the designs submitted. For the first time ever we have decided to select two designs to turn into trophies for the event – one specifically to present to Kent’s kindness champion, and a further design for the main Leadership award for the wellbeing sector and all other awards.”

Niamh and Alina will be invited to see their winning designs roll off the production line at Cactus Graphics, based in Dover, cut from sustainable bamboo sheets.

It’s not too late to submit a nomination. The Kent Mental Wellbeing awards is an annual event designed to showcase the people, organisations and initiatives that help us cope with life. The event’s three themes are: kindness and compassion; wellbeing; mental health.

Whether it is in school, business, community or family, so many of us have been lucky to have people and organisations with ideas, tips and tactics to help us cope. It is time to celebrate those mental health and well-being champions in our community and share this best practice.

The awards will be staged in October by the mental health charity Mind in Bexley and East Kent in collaboration with a range of wellbeing and mental health organisations.

Nominations can be linked to a simple act of kindness that lifted the spirits, a business that has improved staff wellbeing, through to a targeted initiative delivered by a charity or statutory organisation to support a mental health issue.

The event is sponsored by Kent County Council, Kent Community Foundation, ADM Computing, GrainLNG – National Grid, Medway Council, Optyma Security, Ble Global, Wave Community Bank, Cactus Graphics and CommunityAid.

The deadline to submit nominations is noon on 1 September. Submit nominations at www.kentmentalwellbeingawards.org.uk  For awards news follow @KentMWAwards on Facebook and X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.

Gallery shows winners and highly commended designs