A MONMOUTHSHIRE primary school pupil has beaten over 200 other entires to win her school £500 in a county-wide art competition.

Shirenewton Primary School pupil Hayley Dorel won the top prize in Monmouthshire Housing Association’s (MHA) school art competition this week. The competition, which had the theme of ‘home’, was open to pupils aged between seven and 11 across all schools in Monmouthshire.

Presenting Hayley with the prize was representative from MHA Amy Brine and local artist and Welsh Arts Council Creative Agent Claudia Peake, who between them chose the winning entry.

In addition to the £500, Hayley also won an art set and a Kindle Fire tablet.

Hayley’s winning image will also be the new homepage image for the Monmouthshire Homesearch’s website, a portal to help people find affordable housing in Monmouthshire.

In addition to Hayley’s winning entry, two other pupils from the school were runners up in the competition. Jessica Joseph’s design was praised for its bold colours, and Eleanor Walker’s entry showed subtle, beautiful detail.

Monmouthshire Housing Association (MHA) Head of Sustainable Tenancies, Amy Brine, said: “‘I was overwhelmed by the quality of the pictures we received for our competition and was thrilled to be able to present the top prize to such a talented young artist.

“As this picture will feature prominently on the Homesearch website, which is viewed by thousands of people looking for a home every week, it was important we chose a winning entry that not only represented community spirit but also provided a strong visual that people would recognise. I hope the children of Monmouthshire that entered this competition had fun designing their entries and I’m just sorry there couldn’t have been more winners!”

Artist Claudia Peake said: “Hayley’s entry was filled with highly individual homes; each one patterned differently to the one next door. The artwork is bold, colourful, and full of variety and makes a welcoming and happy scene. We were unanimous in agreeing the Hayley’s creation was perfect for the Monmouthshire Homesearch website.

“The breadth of interpretation and range of techniques used by all the talented, young Monmouthshire Artists/Designers who entered the competition is to be applauded. Congratulations to all entries - keep up the good work!”