In the Autumn Term, Rotary Monmouth, as they have done in past years, launched their competitions in the local primary schools. There were two art competitions, one for Years 3 and 4 and one for Years 5 and 6 and two writing competitions for the same age groups. Recently, following the judging of the entries, pupils have been presented with their prizes.

The success and popularity of these competitions have rocketed. In 2024/25, there were some 20 entries for the four competitions. This year, there were a staggering 180 entries from six local primary schools.

There was a winner’s prize and a runner-up prize for each competition in each school and all entrants received a certificate. In addition, there was a prize for the pupil who was the overall winner for each competition out of all the schools which took part. These pupils were:

Years 3 and 4 Art: Becky (Kymin View Primary School): Years 5 and 6 Art: Olivia (Overmonnow Primary School): Years 3 and 4 Writing: Billy (Raglan Primary School): Years 5 and 6 Writing: Kitty (Haberdashers’ Prep School)

Thanks go to Headteachers, classroom teachers and parents who supported pupils with their entries and to our judges, Eirian, Anna and Sue.

Rotary Monmouth organizes several annual competitions for local schools, including the Youth Speaks debate, Young Artist, and Young Photographer, designed to build confidence and skills in young people. The 2026 season saw strong participation from Monmouth Comprehensive School and Haberdashers' Monmouth Schools in the District finals.

Youth Speaks is a major competition featuring debates on topics like AI dangers, ethics of self-defence, and "Human beings are inherently wicked".

Young Artist Competition: Open to school years 3–12 (and home-educated) with categories including "Flower Shapes" (Junior), "Angles and Circles" (Intermediate), and "Woodland Wonders" (Senior).

Young Photographer: An annual competition open to students to showcase creative photography.